LIBRARY 


Theological    Seminary 

PRINCETON,    N.  J. 

t—-.         .1- 

BV  600  .G7  1873 
Soulburn,  Edward  Meyrick, 

1818-1897. 
The  holy  Catholic  Church 


THE  HOLY  CATHOLIC  CHURCH 


RIVINGTONS 

ILonbon Waterloo  Place 

©iforti   High  Street 

arambtillgf    Trinity  Street 


THE    HOLY     , 
CATHOLIC    CHURCH 

|t2f  2D(tinc  3|Deal,  Sl^inlstcp,  and  Jnstitutionsi 


A   SHORT   TREATISE 


iV/TH  A   CA  TECH  ISM  ON  EACH  CHAPTER 

FORMING  A   COURSE  OF  METHODICAL  INSTR  CrcTIOX 

ON  THE  SUBJECT 


HOWARD    MEYRICK'gOULBURN,    D.D. 


DEAN   OF    NORWICH 


NEW    YORK 

pott,    goung,    anD    Co. 

1873 


TO  THE  RIGHT  REVEREND 

SAMUEL, 
lorn  TBiieiT)op    of  CHincljesitcr, 

PRELATE  OF  THE  MOST  NOBLE  ORDER  OF  THE  GARTER, 
ETC.   ETC.   ETC. 

WHOSE  DEVOTION,  ZEAL,  ABILITY,  AND 
UNWEARIED  LABOURS 

HAVE  CONTRIBUTED  MORE  THAN  ANY  OTHER  SINGLE  CAUSK 

TO  MAKE   THE  CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND 

A  LIVING  POWER  AMONG  THE  PEOPLE  OF  ENGLAND, 

THIS    BOOK 

IS,  BY  HIS  KIND  PERMISSION, 

INSCRIBED 

WITH  SENTIMENTS  OF  GRATITUDE  AND  AFFECTION. 


PREFACE. 

This  Book  is  published  in  obedience  to  a  call, 
which  the  Author  felt  himself  unable  to  resist. 
So  long  ago  as  1868,  several  influential  clergymen 
took  the  opportunity  offered  them  by  the  Wolver- 
hampton Congress  of  meeting  together  to  discuss, 
and  consider  the  remedy  for,  the  ignorance  so  ex- 
tensively prevalent  on  the  subject  of  the  Church. 
It  appeared  to  them  that  even  those  who  are  more 
or  less  competently  acquainted  with  the  rudiments 
of  the  Christian  Religion,  are  often  (from  want 
of  instruction)  lamentably  deficient  in  knowledge 
respecting  the  Church, — her  claims,  her  title- 
deeds,  her  powers,  and  the  gi'ounds  on  which  she 
claims  the  allegiance  of  her  children.  They  also 
thought  that  it  might  do  something  towards  the 
removal  of  this  ignorance,  if  there  were  a  manual, 
clearly  and  temperately  written,  which  might 
meet  with  something  like  general  acceptance,  and 
might  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  school-teachers 


viii  Preface. 

and  others,  whose  province  it  was  to  give  instruc- 
tion on  religious  subjects.  Not  wishing  their 
discussion  to  terminate  on  itself,  without  practical 
issue,  they  determined  to  request  Dr.  Goodwin 
(then  Dean  of  Ely),  and  myself,  to  undertake  the 
task  which  appeared  to  them  so  desirable,  indi- 
cating a  Catechism  as  the  particular  form  which 
the  work  should  assume.  Dr.  Goodwin  and  I  had 
a  meeting,  to  consider  the  question  of  compliance 
with  their  wishes ;  and  we  both  agreed  that, 
though  it  was  an  undertaking  delicate  and  diffi- 
cult, and  which  of  ourselves  we  never  should 
have  sought,  yet  when  it  was  devolved  upon  us 
by  several  of  our  brother-clergy,  whose  opinion 
we  had  every  reason  to  respect,  it  would  be  hardly 
proper  to  decline.  We  therefore  considered  the 
divisions  into  which  the  subject  would  fall,  agreed 
what  parts  of  the  joint  work  each  of  us  should 
make  himself  responsible  for,  and  so  parted. 

Some  time  after  this,  Dr.  Goodwin,  by  his 
elevation  to  the  See  of  Carlisle  (an  elevation 
involving,  as  such  preferment  always  must,  an 
overwhelming  mass  of  engagements),  was  obliged 
to  resign  partnership.  This  resignation  of  course 
robbed  the  work  of  its  fairest  promise  ;  for  Dr. 
Goodwin  had  all  the  qualifications  for  such  an 


Preface.  ix 

enterprise,  and  would  have  been  sure  to  execute 
liis  part  with  vigour,  clearness,  and  acceptance  ; 
and,  like  the  king  in  the  parable,  I  was  obliged 
to  consider  whether,  with  my  own  slender  re- 
sources, I  should  not  find  such  a  task  above  my 
unaided  strength.  There  were  three  arguments,  it 
seemed  to  me,  for  proceeding  and  doing  my  best : 
first,  that  I  had  already  begun,  if  not  actually  to 
write,  yet  mentally  to  construct  what  was  required 
of  me  ;  secondly,  that  the  same  Providence  which 
had  in  the  first  instance,  without  seeking  of  my 
own,  seemed  to  summon  me  to  put  my  hand  to 
such  a  work,  though  depriving  me  of  my  help- 
mate, had  given  no  indication  that  I  was  to 
abandon  the  task  imposed  on  me  ;  thirdly,  that 
I  should  hardly  be  acting  up  to  my  idea  of  my 
duties,  as  Dean  of  a  Cathedral  Church,  if  I  did 
not  respond  to  a  call  made  upon  me  for  a  work  on 
a  theological  subject,  which  it  was  hoped  might 
be  generally  useful.  So  I  went  on,  as  I  found 
opportunity  to  do  so,  expressing  my  thoughts 
first  in  the  shape  of  Sermons,  and  then  cast- 
ing them  into  the  mould  of  Chapters.  Had  I 
followed  my  own  inclination,  I  should  have 
done  no  more.  But  I  had  to  consider  that  I  was 
writing  to   order ;    and    therefore,  in   deference 


X  Preface. 

to  the  recommendations  we  had  received  when 
our  task  was  assigned  to  us,  I  have  added  to 
each  Chapter  a  Catechism,  or  (as  perhaps  in  some 
cases  it  sho-uld  be  rather  called)  a  dialogue  upon 
it,  the  object  of  which  is  to  make  clear,  to  rivet, 
and  occasionally  to  expand,  the  lessons  contained 
in  it.  This  has  been  a  work  of  considerable 
trouble ;  but  it  is  trouble  which  I  do  not  regret. 
If  my  Catechisms  are  useful  to  no  one  else,  they 
will  at  least  have  been  of  service  to  the  writer.  I 
have  found  that  the  making  them  has  cleared  and 
confirmed  my  own  views.  It  is  easy,  in  writing 
an  essay,  to  slur  over  in  one  or  two  hazy  sentences 
the  weak  points  of  an  argument.  But  when  one 
sits  down  to  consider  what  these  weak  points  are, 
and  what  answers  could  be  given  to  a  person 
founding  objections  on  them,  and  to  draw  out 
these  answers  in  extenso  (and  this  the  compiler  of 
a  Catechism  must  do),  the  hold  one  gets  of  one's 
own  position  tliereby  is  far  firmer  and  more  satis- 
factory than  before. 

If  I  must  be  candid  about  my  work,  I  fear  that 
the  views  expressed  in  this  Catechism  will  not  meet 
with  sufficiently  general  acceptance  to  make  it 
answer  the  great  object  which  those  who  suggested 
it  had  in  view.     This  I  cannot  help.     It  would 


Preface.  xi 

have  been  easy  to  write  a  quantity  of  matter  on 
tlie  Ministr}',  Sacraments,  Offices  of  the  Church, 
and  on  the  relation  wliich  in  our  own  country  she 
holds  to  the  State,  while  blinking  the  delicate 
question  as  to  her  real  essence  and  constitution. 
But  this  would  have  been  neither  clear  in  theory, 
nor  brave  in  practice.  For  my  OAvn  part,  I  cannot 
understand  hoiv  the  Ministerial  Succession  can  be 
otherwise  than  essential  to  a  rightly  constituted 
Church ;  and,  as  I  entertain  this  conviction  deeply, 
I  have  announced  it  fearlessly,  while  earnestly 
endeavouring,  at  the  same  time,  both  to  hold  and 
to  speak  "  the  truth  in  love."  I  am  quite  aware, 
of  course,  that  this  feature  of  it  must  preclude 
the  general  acceptance  of  my  work.  But  for  this 
failure  I  submit  that  my  employers,  more  than 
myself,  must  be  held  responsible.  They  should 
have  intrusted  the  task  to  another  hand. 

One  observation,  however,  I  may  make,  by  way 
of  preventing  the  reader  from  turning  away  at  the 
outset,  upon  finding  a  Scriptural  interpretation  in 
which  he  cannot  concur.  In  the  first  Chapter  I 
have  assigned  that  meaning  to  our  Lord's  great 
promise  to  St,  Peter,  which  seems  to  me  the  most 
simple  and  suitable  of  any  I  have  met  with,  I 
am  not  unaware  that  both  ancient  and  modern 


xii  Preface. 

Doctors  of  the  Church,  of  the  greatest  theological 
eminence,  interpret  the  promise  differently.  The 
passage  being  a  fundamental  one,  I  was  obliged 
to  consider  it ;  and  in  doing  so,  I  have  expounded 
it  in  the  way  which  most  approves  itself  to  my 
own  mind.  But  I  am  anxious  to  point  out  that 
tlie,  possible  incorrectness  of  my  exposition  does  not 
affect  my  argument.  Granting  that  eirl  ravrr)  tt? 
Trerpa  does  not  mean  St.  Peter  in  any  sense,  still 
it  is  as  a  fact  indisputable  that  he  took  the  pro- 
minent part  in  commencing  the  superstructure  of 
the  Church,  whereof  his  Master  had  laid  the 
foundations,  and  that  by  wielding  the  keys  of 
the  Word  and  Sacraments  he  first  unlocked  "  the 
kingdom  of  heaven"  to  penitent  and  believing 
souls.  That  is  all  that  is  necessary  for  the  argu- 
ment ; — a  certain  fact,  not  a  questionable  inter- 
pretation. 

It  remains  to  acknowledge  my  heavy  debt  to 
the  Keverend  Dr.  Irons,  and  to  the  late  Professor 
Blunt,  in  the  three  last  Chapters.  I  have  not 
read  Dr.  Irons's  most  valuable  Essay*  on  the  In- 
terpretation of  the  Bible,  since  it  was  first  pub- 
lished ;  but  my  strong  impression  is,  that  nearly 

1  The  Bible  and  its  Interpreters.  By  William  J.  Irons, 
D.D.,  etc.     London,  1865. 


Preface.  xiii 

all  the  thoughts  contained  in  Chaps,  viii.  and 
IX.  are  originally  his,  sown  in  my  mind  by  his 
Essay,  and  now  reproduced  in  my  own  language. 
To  the  late  Margaret  Professor  at  Cambridge^  my 
obligations  are  even  greater  and  more  conscious 
(alas  !  when  shall  we  look  again  upon  a  divine  so 
learned,  so  acute,  so  in  harmony  with  both  ele- 
ments in  our  Communion  ?)  ;  and  the  latter  part 
of  the  last  Chapter  is,  as  will  be  seen,  only  an 
expansion  of  one  of  his  terse  eulogies  of  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer.  If  I  have  in  any  way  con- 
tributed to  the  wider  knowledge  of  his  works, 
and  their  gi-eater  appreciation  by  English  Church- 
men, I  shall  not  have  written  altogether  in  vain. 

E.  M.  G. 

Aynhoe  Rectory,  Banbury,  Oct.  9,  1872. 


1  Five  Sermons  preached  before  the  University  of 
Cambridge  in  1845,  and  Five  others  in  1S51.  Cam- 
bridge, 1847  and  1852. 


Contents* 

CHAPTER    I. 

Catjat  tT)c  QCfjitrcf)  iff,  ana  iuTjcn  ann  ftoto  tt  ijoafi  founucD. 

'  And  I  say  also  unto  thee.  That  thou  art  Pete7;  and  upon 
this  rock  I  will  build  tny  church.''— ^T.  Matt.  xvi.  i8. 


General  need  of  methodized  instruction  on  the  subject  of  the  Church — 
'The  invisible  Church'  an  unscriptural  phraseology— Etymology 
and  signification  of  the  word  '  Ecclesia ' — Distinction  drawn  by  our 
Lord  between  the  '  called  '  and  the  '  chosen  ' — The  man  without  the 
wedding  garment,  the  representative  of  the  called  who  are  not  chosen 
— Why  the  chosen  are  represented  as  many,  and  the  called  as  only 
one — Call  for  the  present  treatise — Scriptural  warrants  for  a  treatise 
on  the  Church— Its  close  union  with  Christ— The  Acts  of  the  Apostles 
an  inspired  history  of  the  Church— The  fundamental  Church  truth- 
First  announcement  of  our  Lord's  purpose  of  building  the  Church- 
Reason  why  our  Lord's  disciples  (while  He  was  upon  earth)  were 
not  a  Church — Difference  between  an  aggregation  and  a  body — 
St.  Peter's  part  in  the  proceedings  of  the  day  of  Pentecost — His 
admission  of  the  Gentiles  to  the  Church  in  the  person  of  Cornelius 
—The  two  predictions  respecting  St.  Peter's  ministry,  and  their 
fulfilment— Meaning  of  the  name  '  Peter,'  and  probable  reason  of 
its  being  changed  into  the  feminine  form,  in  the  celebrated  promise 
to  St.  Peter— St.  Paul,  and  all  the  Apostles,  as  well  as  St.  Peter, 
were  layers  of  foundations— St.  Peter  the  earliest  layer  of  the 
foundation— Bengel's  distinction  between  being  'built'  and  being 
'  founded  '—Why  Christ  founded  a  Society,  as  well  as  taught  a  reli- 
gion—Risk of  corruption  in  forming  a  society — God's  purpose  of 
renewing  man,  not  of  reconstructing  him— Society  man's  earliest 
want— Instincts  of  human  nature  which  have  no  meaning  except  on 
the  hypothesis  of  his  being  a  social  creature — Instincts  of  love  and 
friendship — Another  issue  for  each  of  us,  besides  the  question 
whether  we  receive  the  truths  which  Christ  taught — A  man  cannot 


xvi  Contents. 

FACE 

make  himself  a  member  of  a  society,  but  must  be  admitted  by 
others— Necessity  of  admission  into  the  Church— Necessity  of  an 
historical  continuity  to  the  identity  of  societies — Difference  of 
appearance  not  incompatible  with  identity — Illustration  from  archi- 
tecture—Importance of  the  Ministerial  Succession— The  Roman 
Communion  in  England  a  schismatical  intruder — The  debt  which 
the  Church  owes  to  the  Reformers— The  due  moral  effect  of  the 
advantage  of  our  position,  as  a  Church  at  once  Scriptural  and 
Apostolical — The  Church's  spiritual  lineage  independent  of  State 
Patronage,  ........       i 

CATECHISM  ON  Chap.  I., 22 


CHAPTER   11. 

Dutp  of  tTie  C^urc'b  totoartiici  tTxusc  iulbo  '^o\^  to  tl&e 
apoistleis'  Boctrtne,  in  jseparatton  from  t!)e  apojstlesi' 
felloiiJsilEjtp. 

'  And  John  answered  khn,  saying.  Master,  ive  saw  07ie 
casting  out  devils  in  thy  na?ne,  and  he  followeth  not  us :  and 
7ve  forbad  him,  because  he  followeth  not  us.  But  Jesus  said, 
Forbid  him  not :  for  there  is  no  man  which  shall  do  a  miracle 
in  my  name,  that  can  lightly  speak  evil  of  tne.  For  he  that 
is  not  against  us  is  on  our  part.'' — Sx.  Mark  ix.  38,  39,  40. 

'  They  continued  stedfastly  in  the  apostles'  doctrine  and  fel- 
lowship.^— Acts  ii.  42. 

The  balance  of  forces  a  law  of  Nature— Religious  truths  are  moral 
forces— The  balance  of  truths  a  law  of  Grace — Both  the  Apostles' 
doctrine  and  their  fellowship  to  be  continued  'n — 1"}  'ne*^  'fellow- 
ship '  to  be  created,  but  the  old  one  to  be  adhe  In  the 
infancy  of  Christianity  the  'doctrine' and 'lellowi  yoi  ensive 
— How  the  two  came  to  be  separated — Perplex!  'he  CATrom 
this  separation — How  this  perplexity  was  .  ...uiwarks,'  etc. 
Other  countries  not  as  highly  favoured;  andj  'ed  before  the 
in  such  countries— The  earliest  idea  of  a  Chris->  '  ord  framed 
Rapid  propagation  of  the  idea — The  Founder  -teiy 
marred — Spiritual  life  visible,  and  spiritual  age'.  jrk,  out- 
side the  Apostles'  fellowship — How  we  are  to ',  .ik  of  and  deal 
with  such  phenomena — The  man  who  cast  out  devils  in  Christ's 
name,  but  did  not  follow  with  the  Apostles — Why  he  must  have  been 
a  sincere  believer— His  probable  independence  of  spirit — How  much 
he  lost  by  not  following  in  the  train  of  the  Lord  Jesus — High  privi- 
lege of  association  with  the  Apostles,  even  after  Christ  had  left 


Contents.  xvii 

PAGE 

them— The  Apostolic  Fellowship  is  still  in  the  world — Loss  suffered 
by  separation,  however  conscientious — England  has  preserved  both 
Christianity  and  the  Church— Universal  Christian  sympathy  to 
be  cultivated  along  with  Church  principles— Spiritual  history  of 
many  a  separatist— His  experience  of  the  power  of  the  Name  of 
Jesus — His  impulse  to  make  known  to  others  the  power  of  this 
Name — His  impatience  of  restraint— Success  of  his  ministry,  and 
the  effect  of  such  success  upon  himself— How  we  arc  to  deal  with 
such  persons — Neither  the  State,  nor  the  Church,  are  to  forbid 
them — We  must  acknowledge  his  work  as  from  God,  and  be  thank- 
ful for  it— Church  principles  by  no  means  inconsistent  with  Chris- 
tian sympathy— Appearance  of  saintliness  and  high  prophetical  gifts 
in  the  schismatical  kingdom  of  the  Ten  Tribes — Schismatical  Com- 
munions which  preach  Christ,  like  the  'little  ships'  in  the  wake  of 
the  vessel  which  bore  the  Person  of  Christ,  .  .  .  -38 
CATECHISMoNCHAr.il,, 55 


CHAPTER    III. 

Oe  (Unitp  of  t!)e  CETjitrc]^,  ann  ttf!  DisirujJtion. 

'^  Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone,  but  for  thetn  also  lohich 
shall  believe  on  me  through  their  word ;  that  they  all  maybe 
one ;  as  thou.  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also 
may  be  one  in  us  :  that  the  worl4  may  believe  that  thou  hast 
sent  me.' — St.  John  xvii.  20,  21. 

The  divisions  of  the  Church  made  tolerable  to  us  only  by  our  familiarity 
with  them — Unity  Christ's  design  for  His  Church,  however  exten- 
sive it  might',  in  course  of  time  become — Unity  of  the  Church 
recognised  in  the  same  parables  which  predict  its  spread — Unity 
of  the  Chi  -h  "'  ".ignei  to  be  an  instrument  in  the  conversion  of  the 
world — r     ■•  ;  ot' the  Church  from  the  Founder's  ideal— Origin 

of  the  ^jcost  ''  ^"^  schism   between  the    East  and  West — Its 

grouPj^  j^j  "    -         '  and  ceremonial — The  schism  at  the  Reforma- 
and  difficult'ei  't — Schism  between  the  Reformed  Churches 

parties  wit''"*^''         °  propagate  itself— Drawbacks  of  the  Refor- 
— dowme,    ^  thought  between  the  Unity  of  the  Church 

and   ti.     ■    '^'     '  6f  Saints,— exposed    by   the   words  of  the 

Apostle,  a.  ''•-  analogy  drawn  from  the  body — The  guidance 
given  us  by  Ho.,  icripture  under  the  present  circumstances  of 
the  Church— The  establishment  of  the  Israelitish  monarchy — The 
causes  which  led  to  it,  the  misconduct  of  the  rulers,  and  of  the 
people— How  the  same  causes  have  operated  to  produce  schism  in 
the  Church — A  second  disturbance  of  God's  plan  for  the  govern- 
ment of  His  people,  by  the  schism  of  the  Ten  Tribes,  which  might 

h 


Contents. 


FAGE 

have  been  averted  by  a  conciliatory  policy  on  the  part  of  Rehoboam 
— The  secession  received  the  Divine  sanction,  and  the  seceding 
tribes,  even  in  their  lowest  moral  condition,  received  the  recognition 
of  Almighty  God — Law  of  the  Divine  administration,  which  God's 
sanction,  first  of  the  Monarchy,  and  then  of  the  Schism,  exhibits — 
Application  of  the  narrative  to  the  Christian  Church,  in  its  present 
divided  state — The  ideal  of  the  Church,  and  its  original  constitution, 
shattered  by  the  schism,  and  by  the  organization  of  new  ministries 
— Our  duty  vmder  these  circumstances  :  i.  To  recognise  sin  in  the 
Church  as  the  source  of  schism — The  sin  in  our  own  Communion 
which  led  to  dissent  ;  2.  To  recognise  our  divisions  as  '  penal '  in 
their  character,  and  humble  ourselves  accordingly,  and  avoid  those 
sins,  which  drew  down  the  chastisement,— ambition,  the  lust  of  the 
eyes,  and  the  attaching  importance  to  trifles — Prospect  of  the  unity 
of  Christendom,  very  much  like  the  prospect  of  the  cessation  of 
war,  impossible  of  realization  by  mere  human  effort — Ezek.  xxxvii. 
22,  24  ;  3.  Never  to  deny  the  working  of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  schis- 
matical  Communions — Fullest  acknowledgment  of  this  compatible 
with  the  denial  of  any  due  authorization  for  their  ministry — God 
does  not  confine  His  graces  and  gifts  even  to  the  channel  of  His 
own  appointment — The  Unity  of  the  Church  to  be  sued  for  in 
earnest  prayer — The  guarded  terms  in  which  our  own  Church 
teaches  us  to  pray  for  it,  .  .  .  .  .  .     66 

CATECHISM  ON  Chap.  III., 85 


CHAPTER   IV. 
STlje  siurl3cp  of  ^ion'is  totoers*,  ittltoarfess,  aitD  ]?a(aces(. 

'  Walk  about  Zion,  and  go  i-otmd  about  her  :  tell  the  towers 
thereof.  Mark  ye  well  her  bulwarks,  consider  her  palaces  ;  that 
ye  may  tell  it  to  the  generation  following.^ — Ps.  XLViii.  12,  13. 

The  probable  date  of  the  forty-eighth  Psalm — The  confederacy  referred 
to  in  it — Miraculousdefeat  of  the  confederacy — Security,  ^the  City 
of  God  against  hostile  invasion — Spiritual  meaning  of  le  CArrhorta- 
tion  to  '  tell  the  towers  of  Zion,  and  mark  well  her.Jinvarks,'  etc. 
— In  the  natural  creation,  the  body  of  man  was  Iranwi  before  the 
breath  of  lives  was  breathed  into  it — Similarly  our   Lrd  framed 
the  structure  of  His  Church  before  the  Holy  Spirit  de.scencled  at 
Pentecost  to  animate  it — The  significance  of  the  great  Forty  Days — 
Their  evidential  significance — Their  constructive  significance — The 
germs  of  Church  institutions,  Church  offices,  and  Church  seasons, 
laid  during  this  period — Subsequent  devejopment  by  the  Apostles 
of  the  Ministry  of  the  Church,  and  of  her  legislative  powers — St. 
Matt,  xviii.  15-21 — The  Saviour's  promise  to  be  in  the  midst  of  the 
two  or  three  gathered  together  in  His  Name,  and  the  context  pre- 


Contents. 


XIX 


PAGE 

ceding  and  leading  up  to  it— Literal  fulfilment  of  the  promise  during 
the  great  Forty  Days — Ordinance  of  United  Prayer — Ground  on 
which  the  blessing  covenanted  to  that  Ordinance  rests— The  pro- 
mise to  '  the  two  or  three '  is  the  charter  of  the  Christian  Society 
—Christ's  example  social,  while  His  doctrine  was  that  of  mutual 
love  —Question  raised  as  to  how  the  Christian  Society  was  to  be 
extended  and  replenished— Self-admission  to  any  society  an  impos- 
sibility— St.  Matt,  xxviii.  i6  to  end— Probable  reference  of  St. 
Paul  to  this  interview  of  Christ  with  the  Eleven — Presence  of  many 
others  at  the  interview — The  deed  of  gift  referred  to  in  Ps.  ii. ,  under 
which  Christ  sends  His  Gospel  to  the  heathen— Suitability  of  the 
scene  to  the  commission — The  Ordinance  of  Missionary  Preaching 
instituted— Mode  of  formally  admitting  new  converts  to  the  Chris- 
tian Society— Instruction  required  subsequently  to  Baptism— Recog- 
nition in  the  Baptismal  Service  of  the  necessity  of  such  instruction 
— Ordinance  of  Preaching  to  Christians  instituted— The  different 
kinds  of  teaching  which  are  required  previously  and  subsequently 
to  Baptism — Popular  contempt  for  Preaching  condemned  by  our 
Lord's  institution  of  it — Ordinance  of  Christian  Education — How 
this  is  to  be  found  in  the  words,  '  Teaching  them  to  observe  all 
things,'  etc.— Close  and  vital  connexion  of  Christian  Education 
with  Baptism— Christ's  solemn  charge  respecting  each  baptized 
infant — How  Christian  Education  is  recognised  in  the  restoration 
of  St.  Peter  to  the  Pastoral  Office — Hence  it  follows  that  Education 
apart  from  Religion,  or  even  apart  from  the  authority  of  the  Church 
as  a  teaching  Society,  is  condemned  by  Christ's  Commission  to  His 
Church— The  Commission  to  be  perpetuated  to  the  successors  of 
the  Apostles — Deep  significance  of  the  'Amen'  at  the  close  of  it — 
Christ's  Presence  with  His  Church  in  the  darkest  periods  of  her 
existence,  shown  by  the  vigour  with  which  she  shook  off  her  corrup- 
tions—Baptism the  divinely  instituted  form  of  admission  to  the 
Church— The  signing  with  the  sign  of  the  Cross  merely  an  assent 
to  that  admission  on  the  part  of  the  Christian  Society— The  outward 
visible  sign  of  Baptism  (where  it  may  be  had)  shown  to  be  essential 
to  the  remission  of  sins  by  Ananias's  exhortation  to  St.  Paul— Saul, 
though  repentant  and  believing,  not  forgiven  till  he  was  baptized — 
Testimony  of  the  Nicene  Creed  to  the  necessity  of  Baptism — 
Objection  arising  from  the  case  of  the  penitent  malefactor  answered 
— Full  Christian  Baptism  not  in  existence  till  after  the  day  of 
Pentecost— God  dispenses  with  His  Ordinances,  where  they  cannot 
be  had— Double  aspect  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  the  perils 
and  difficulties  entailed  by  it  -Aggravated  struggle  of  the  two  great 
parties  within  the  Church— The  cry  for  disestablishment  and  dis- 
endowment — Scepticism  within  the  Church,  undermining  the  faith 
of  her  children — The  clerg>'  should  teach  the  people  to  appreciate 
the  advantages  of  their  position  as  English  Churchmen— The  laity 
should  study  more  deeply  and  compare  Bible  and  Prayer-Book,  and 
seek  to  understand  their  mutual  relations  ;  and  all  should  implore 
the  great  Head  of  the  Church  to  make  our  candlestick  a  burning 
and  a  shining  light,  .  .  98 

CATECHISM  ON  Chaf.  IV.,  .120 


Contents. 


CHAPTER  V. 

0)c  3Iu0titiitton  of  tl)c  ^intgitrp,  ann  ttis  relation  to 
tl)e  CJurcl). 

'  Walk  about  Zio>i,  and  go  round  aboiU  her:  tell  the  towers 
thereof.  Mark  ye  tvell  her  bulwarks,  consider  her  palaces  ;  that 
ye  may  tell  it  to  the  generation  follotving^ — Ps.  XLVIII.  I2,  13. 

PAGE 

The  walk  about  the  spiritual  Zion  resumed — The  word  'Church'  only 
used  in  the  Gospels  on  two  occasions  :  in  the  promise  to  St.  Peter  ; 
and  in  the  direction  how  to  deal  with  a  trespassing  brother — Re- 
markable coincidence  between  our  Lord's  directions  for  excom- 
munication and  the  record  of  St.  Paul's  practice  of  it — The  parties 
which  must  concur  in  inflicting,  and  in  relieving  from,  a  sentence 
of  excommunication — The  moral  power  of  excommunication  ex- 
hibited, on  a  small  scale,  in  the  expulsion  of  mischievous  members 
from  Schools  and  Colleges — The  power  of  binding  and  loosing 
lodged  at  one  time  with  the  whole  Church,  at  another  with  a  single 
Apostle— The  meaning  of  '  binding  '  and  '  loosing  : '  ist.  Excom- 
munication, and  relief  from  it;  2dly.  Censure,  followed  by  temporal 
judgments,  and  relief  from  it  ;  sdly.  Authoritative  prohibition  and 
permission  ;  4thly.  The  withholding  or  granting  of  Sacraments ; 
Or  sthly.  Of  any  appointed  means  of  grace,  or  even  of  any  rite  of 
the  Church — Christ's  Institution  of  the  Ministry  on  the  evening  of 
the  Resurrection  Day — Broad  sense  of  the  words,  as  meaning  that 
the  Ministry  of  the  Apostles,  and  every  other  Ministry,  so  far  as  it 
is  a  reproduction  of  theirs,  is  the  appointed  medium  through  which 
forgiveness,  and  all  other  blessings  of  the  Christian  Covenant,  flow 
forth  to  men — With  whom  is  the  power  of  binding  and  loosing  really 
lodged,  with  the  Society  or  with  its  officers? — Christian  Ministers 
the  organs  of  the  Church— Illustration  from  the  natural  body,  the 
whole  of  which  is  endowed  with  sensation,  while  at  the  same  time 
there  are  special  organs,  through  which  sensation  is  exercised — 
Christian  Ministers  representatives  of  the  Church — Representative 
character  of  the  Jewish  priesthood — The  angels  (or  bishops)  of  the 
Seven  Asiatic  Churches,  addressed  in  the  Revelation  as  representa- 
tives of  the  Churches  over  which  they  presided — Representative 
character  of  the  Christian  clergy  recognised  by  the  word  '  Parson  '— 
Political  representatives  derive  their  power  from  the  people,  and 
yet  have  prerogatives  which  the  people  may  not  usurp  ;  and  so  the 
clergy,  who  are  representatives  of  the  Church — Korah  spoke  the 
truth  in  asserting  that  all  the  congregation  were  holy  ;  but  argued 
wrongly  thence  that  he  might  assume  sacerdotal  functions — En- 
croachment upon  ministerial  functions  condemned  by  this  narrative, 
and  by  that  of  Uzziah's  leprosy,  .....   140 

CATECHISM  ON  Chap.  V 158 


Contents.       *  xxi 

CHAPTER   VI. 

(TIjc  toofp  dtclbarist  at  '\x.%  surccggiijc  stages. 

'  Being  seen  of  them  forty  days,  and  speaking  of  the  things 
pertaining  to  the  iingdom  of  God. ' — Acts  I.  3. 

Threefold  purpose  of  the  great  Forty  Days,  which  elapsed  between 
the  Resurrection  and  the  Ascension  of  Christ — Recapitulation  of 
the  several  Church  Institutions,  the  germs  of  which  were  laid 
during  this  period— One  would  expect  to  find  some  reference  to  the- 
Lord's  Supper  during  this  period,  although  it  had  of  necessity,  and 
in  conformity  with  its  character,  been  instituted  previously — And 
we  find  that  the  very  day  of  the  Resurrection  was  not  allowed  to 
close  without  such  a  reference — The  journey  to  Emmaus,  and  the 
conversation  on  the  road — Sameness  of  the  phraseology  with  that 
in  which  St.  Matthew  and  St.  Mark  record  the  institution  of  the 
earlier  part  of  the  Eucharist — Attention  specially  called  to  the 
action  of  breaking  the  bread — The  '  breaking  of  the  Bread '  the 
term  used  by  the  Primitive  Church  to  denote  the  celebration  of  the 
Eucharist— Immediate  appearance  of  the  Eucharist  on  the  very 
birthday  of  the  Church— Privacy  of  primitive  celebrations—Christ's 
design  of  disentangling  the  Ordinance  from  its  sentimental  relation 
to  the  Apostles,  made  manifest  by  what  passed  at  Emmaus — In 
St.  Luke's  narrative  of  the  Institution,  our  Lord  holds  out  hope  of 
again  eating  and  drinking  with  His  disciples,  when  the  kingdom  of 
God  should  have  come — Words  of  similar  general  scope  uttered 
shortly  afterwards — Remarkable  diflference  of  the  two  sayings, 
while  their  general  tenor  is  the  same — The  Emmaus  Supper  the 
earliest  fulfilment  of  the  promise  to  eat  and  drink  with  them  again, 
after  the  setting  up  of  the  kingdom— This  supper  not  an  actual 
Communion,  but  a  prelude  to  Communion— and  so  also  every 
occasion  of  eating  and  drinking  with  them,  after  He  rose  from  the 
dead — When  the  kingdom  of  God  had  more  fully  arrived  at  Pente- 
cost, the  Lord's  Supper,  in  common  with  other  parts  of  the  Church 
system,  received  a  glorification,  becoming  the  great  medium  of  Hi-^ 
spiritual  Presence,  and  of  the  closest  communion  with  Him,  which 
can  be  enjoyed  on  earth— Yet  still  its  early  associations  are  not 
dropped  ;  and  the  dropping  of  any  of  them  hazards  an  obscuration 
of  the  Ordinance — The  Church  still  waits  for  the  final  arrival  of  the 
kingdom  of  God,  which  will  be  ushered  in  by  the  marriage-supper 
of  the  Lamb— That  m.arriage-supper  is  the  point  of  sight,  for  which 
our  Communion  Feasts  are  rehearsals  and  preparations — Diffusion 
of  life  represented  by  Baptism,  concentration  of  life  by  the  Lord's 
Supper— The  Lord's  Supper  the  Sacrament  of  perpetual  re-union 
with  Christ,  and  with  His  members,  and  therefore,  as  one  of  its 
conditions,  demands  a  gathering  of  two  or  three  in  Christ's  Name, 
and  should  be  celebrated  in  a  spirit  of  mutual  love,  .  -175 

CATECHISM  ON  Chap.  VI .oo 


xxii  *        Contents. 

CHAPTER  VII. 
2Dn  ttje  potoerj!  of  t!)c  <S^)\ixt\  in  Council. 

'  It  seemed  good  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  to  us.' — Acts  xv.  28. 

A  later  period  of  New  Testament  history  brought  under  review  in  the 
present  Chapter — The  authority  claimed  for  the  decree  of  the  first 
Christian  Council — The  natural  means  by  which  the  conclusion  had 
been  arrived  at — The  decree  founded  on  principles  previously  ad- 
mitted— St.  Peter  builds  his  argument  on  God's  previous  dealings 
withhimself  and  with  the  Gentiles  ;  St.  James  on  the  same  dealings, 
of  which  he  finds  a  prediction  in  the  book  of  the  prophet  Amos — 
The  sanction  of  the  Holy  Ghost  claimed  for  a  decision  so  arrived 
at,  on  the  ground  of  the  Lord's  own  promises  of  guidance  by  the 
Spirit  of  truth,  which  Spirit  had  been  given  at  Pentecost,  and  had 
flowed  down  upon  the  Church  through  various  channels  of  Ministry 
-  Being  endowed  with  the  Spirit,  as  well  as  with  the  Word  of  God, 
the  Church  might  be  left  to  legislate  for  herself  in  such  emergencies 
as  might  arise ;  nor  did  our  Lord  give  to  His  Apostles,  nor  His 
Apostles  to  their  successors,  any  definite  directions  as  to  the  method 
of  meeting  such  emergencies — The  Apostles  bequeathed  to  the 
Church  their  inspired  writings,  in  which  are  laid  down  the  prin- 
ciples on  which  every  controversy  must  be  decided — Objection 
raised  against  two  co-ordinate  authorities  in  the  government  of  the 
Church — Complexity  of  the  finer  organizations  in  Nature — The 
Church's  legislative  power :  how  far  it  extends — In  the  decree  of 
the  Council  of  Jerusalem  we  find  an  exercise  of  it — The  modern 
Church  might  exercise  the  same  power  in  matters  ritual  or  cere- 
monial, though  even  then  under  a  check  from  God's  Word  written 
— The  Church's  judicial  power  of  declaring,  in  controversy,  by  a 
reference  to  Holy  Scripture,  what  the  true  doctrine  is,  just  as  a 
judge  expounds  and  declares,  though  he  does  not  make,  the  Law— 
The  Church  has  also  a  power  of  organizing  herself,  which  is  not 
noticed  in  Art.  xx.,  but  exhibited  in  Acts  vi. — The  new  organization 
was  in  conformity  with  principles  laid  down  by  Christ ;  and  with 
what  had  been  done  in  the  Old  Testament  Church— Points  of  the 
narrative  which  should  be  borne  in  mind  in  proposed  new  organiza- 
tions for  Church  help — The  legislative  and  judicial  powers  of  the 
Church  are,  in  our  own  Communion,  in  abeyance — Need  of  new 
Services,  to  meet  new  forms  of  religious  activity — Need  of  a  pro- 
perly constituted  Church  tribunal— Reasons  why  neither  Convoca- 
tion, nor  the  Judicial  Committee  of  the  Privy  Council,  meet  these 
needs — The  Judicial  Committee  not  a  court  of  heresy — But  if  it 
must  be  admitted  that  the  Church  of  England  has  its  defects,  so 
have  all  other  Communions — The  question  is,  Where  can  we  find 
the  fewest  defects  ?— The  shortcomings  of  the  Roman  Communion 
—The  shortcomings  of  the  Christian  sects— Long  usage  may  pos- 


Contents.  xxiii 


sibly  sanction  irregularities  in  the  sight  of  God— We  may  reasonably 
hope  that  our  defects  are  in  process  of  being  remedied  ;  and  certainly 
the  Ministries  of  our  Church  show  greater  vitality  than  ever,  and 
religious  activity  is  everywhere  abroad  within  her  pale — All  is  well, 
if  our  Lord  be  with  us,  .  .  ...  203 

CATECHISM  ON  Chap.  VII., 224 


CHAPTER    VIII. 
%\it  CliutcT)  ptesfentino;,  cjcTjibtttng,  anD  ncfcnotng 

'  The  house  of  God,  which  is  the  church  of  the  living  God, 
the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth.  And  without  contro- 
T'crsy  great  is  the  mystery  of  godliness  :  God  7vas  manifest  in 
the  flesh,  justified  in  the  Spirit,  seen  of  angels,  preached  unto 
the  Gentiles,  believed  on  in  the  world,  received  up  into  glory. ^ 
—  I  Timothy  hi.  15,  16. 

Relations  of  the  Church  to  the  Truth,  exhibited  in  .St.  Paul's  designa- 
tion of  the  Church — Desirableness  of  consulting  the  Epistles  as  well 
•IS  the  Gospels  and  the  Acts,  on  the  subject  under  consideration — 
Possible  allusion,  in  the  term  '  Church  of  the  living  God,'  to  the 
idol  in  the  Ephesian  temple — Support  of  the  Truth,  one  notion 
yielded  by  the  word  '  pillar  ' — Guidance  and  illumination  a  second 
notion — Three  different  modes  in  which  the  Church  upholds  the 
Truth — By  presentation  and  recommendation — The  Jewish  Church 
intrusted  with  the  Old  Testament,  the  Christian  Church  with  the 
New— The  Church  the  appointed  keeper  of  Holy  Writ— Analogy 
between  the  history  of  the  world  and  that  of  the  individual,  in  that 
the  Church  was  before  the  Bible  in  the  world's  history,  and  that 
to  the  individual  it  is  the  Church  who  presents  the  Bible — The 
spoken  Word  must  e.vist  before  the  Church,  though  the  Church 
e.xisted  before  the  written  Word — Christian  parents  are  the 
Church's  earliest  agents— Sponsors  are  bound  officially  fand  not 
by  mere  natural  affection;  to  see  ih.^t  each  child  receives  in- 
struction in  the  Truth- It  is  the  business  of  the  Church  to  place 
Holy  Scripture  in  the  hands  of  her  children,  and  call  their  atten- 
tion to  it— The  Church  maintains  the  Truth  by  exhibition  of  it— 
The  principle  of  our  nature  on  which  this  exhibition  is  made  to 
the  eye — Truths  represented  in  B<aptism,  and  in  the  Lord's  Supper 
—The  representation  a  living  and  effectual  one,  making  a  convey- 
ance of  the  grace  represented— The  symbolism  of  Public  Worship, 
Confirmation,  and  Absolution — Possibility  of  arriving  at  the  Truth 
by  an  .analysis  of  the  rites  embodying  it — The  Church  maintains  the 
Trtith  by  vindicating  and  defending  it — New  heresies  necessitated 
the  expansion  of  early  Creeds— Usefulness  and  necessity  of  forti- 


xxiv  Contents. 

PAGE 

fications,  however  little  attractive  they  may  be— The  Church  would 
betray  her  trust,  if  she  protested  not  against  heresies — Clearness 
of  mind  on  subjects  of  Faith,  the  gain  which  believers  derive  from 
the  Church's  definitions — The  definition  of  the  two  natures  and  one 
Person  in  Christ,  an  instance  of  this — Helpfulness  of  that  definition 
—  Its  source,  the  Athanasian  Creed— Creeds,  in  their  origin,  were 
not  defensive — Before  there  was  a  Scripture,  there  was  a  Truth— 
What  the  Truth  was  in  Patriarchal  times— Earliest  shape  in  which 
the  Truth  appeared  in  New  Testament  times — What  St.  Paul  meant 
by  'the  Truth,'  in  the  passage  under  consideration— Why  he  calls 
'the  Truth'  '  the  mystery  of  godliness '—Contrast  between  'the 
mystery  of  godliness'  and  heathen  mysteries — '  The  mystery  of 
godliness'  a  fragment  of  an  early  Creed— Comprehensiveness  of  this 
short  doctrinal  summary— A  triumph -song  rather  than  a  fortification 
-Jubilant  aspect  of  the  Christian  Creeds  may  well  drown  in  our 
minds,  when  we  use  them,  their  polemical  associations — Creeds  are 
better  sung  than  said,    .......  241 

CATECHISM  ON  Chap.  VIII., 256 


CHAPTER    IX. 

^\t  €!)urc!)  gutuing  into  anD  tHufftrattng  tfje  SIrutlj. 

'  Atid  the  Lord  will  create  upon  evay  dwelling  place  of 
Moimt  Zion,  and  upon  her  assemblies,  a  cl.oud  and  smoke 
hy  day,  and  the  shining  of  a  flaming  fire  by  night.'' — Isalah 
IV.  5. 

Possible  reference  of  the  words  '  pillar  of  the  truth  '  to  the  pillar  of  fire 
and  of  the  cloud— Restoration  of  the  pillar  of  fire  and  of  the  cloud 
predicted  by  Isaiah — The  guiding  and  illuminating  functions  of  the 
Church  a  partial  fulfilment  of  this  prediction — Objection  raised 
that,  in  order  to  understand  Holy  Scripture,  we  want  no  guidance 
save  that  of  average  education  and  intelligence — A  crucial  experi- 
ment proposed,  by  way  of  testing  this  hypothesis — Let  a  child  be 
brought  up  without  any  religious  instruction,  and  whose  mind  shall 
be  left  a  blank  as  to  any  religious  ideas — Let  him  be  of  ordinary 
ability,  and  receive  a  good  secular  education  ;  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  let  the  Bible  be  placed  in  his  hands,  and  let  him  be  exhorted 
to  ascertain  from  it  all  religious  Truth — Certainty  that  he  will  fail 
to  do  this,  even  on  the  more  important  doctrines— The  very  first 
ver.se  of  the  Bible  assumes  previous  knowledge,  not  to  be  gained 
from  the  Bible  itself — The  sources  from  which  we  derive  our  idea 
of  the  existence  of  God— That  all  the  doctrines  of  the  Faith  are  to 
be  found  in  Holy  Scripture,  does  not  imply  that  they  can  be  found 
there  without  a  guide— Fruitless  search  for  a  great  work  in  a  vast 
library,  unless  we  have  guidance  and  help — Whence  did  we  obtain 


Contents.  xxv 

I'AGK 

the  information  that  the  serpent  in  Gen.  iii.  is  the  devil  ?— St.  John, 
the  only  Scriptural  writer  who  gives  a  hint  of  it ;  and  yet  surely 
the  Church  must  have  possessed  the  information  before  his  time — 
Usual  interpretation  of  the  Prophecy  respecting  the  Seed  of  the 
woman,  not.  obtained  from  the  Bible  itself;  nor  could  a  person 
deriding  the  usual  interpretation  be  convicted  of  error  from  the 
Scriptures— The  t}T)ical  relation  of  the  sacrifice  of  Isaac  to  the 
sacrifice  of  Christ  must  be  denied,  if  the  Bible  is  to  be  strictly 
self-interpreting—  St.  Paul's  direct  assertion  that  the  old  patriarchs 
looked  not  for  transitory  promises— They  had  nothing  in  the  Old 
Scriptures  to  ground  their  hopes  upon — InsuflSciency  of  the  history 
of  Enoch  for  a  well-grounded  hope  in  the  case  of  others — Absence 
of  the  doctrine  of  eternal  life  from  the  Pentateuch,  a  postulate  of 
Warburton's  argument — Though  the  New  Testament  needs  ex- 
planation less  than  the  Old,  yet  in  many  points  we  are  obliged  to 
call  in  the  tradition  of  the  Church,  in  order  to  interpret  it— The 
substitution  of  the  Lord's  Day  for  the  Sabbath,  and  its  sanctifica- 
tion,  nowhere  expressly  prescribed  in  the  New  Testament — Infant 
Baptism  also  rests  not  on  e.xpress  New  Testament  prescription,  but 
on  traditional  usage,  tracing  back  to  the  earliest  times — No  one 
really  reads  Scripture  without  borrowing  something  from  an  here- 
ditary transmitted  interpretation — Office  of  the  Church  fulfilled  by 
St.  Philip  to  the  Ethiopian,  when  he  complained  that  he  could  not 
understand  what  he  read,  except  some  man  should  guide  him — In 
what  sense  Holy  Scripture  is,  in  its  turn,  the  pillar  and  pedestal  of 
the  Church— The  office,  authority,  history,  and  existence  of  the 
Church  can  only  be  ascertained  from  Holy  Scripture — The  Holy 
Scriptures  and  the  Church  mutually  necessary  to  one  another — 
Exclusive  prerogative  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  above  the  Church- 
Subject  of  the  final  Chapter  introduced,  ....  274 

C.\TECHISMonChap.  IX., 290 


CHAPTER    X. 

On  t^e  prapcr=T3oolt  asi  a  Commentarp  on  tM  IBtble. 

'  Therefore,  brethren,  stand  fast,  and  hold  the  traditions 
which  ye  have  been  taught,  'whether  by  lijord,  or  our  epistle.^ — 
2  Thess.  II.  15. 

The  necessity  of  some  help  from  traditional  sentiment  and  observance, 
for  the  full  understanding  even  of  the  New  Testament— In  the 
absence  of  such  help,  the  most  well-intentioned  man  might  find 
himself  at  a  loss  in  many  points— What  he  would  find  about  the 
Church  in  the  New  Testament— What  he  would  not  find  there  :— a 
definitive  prescription  on  the  subject  of  Infant  Baptism  ; — a  direc- 
C 


xxvi  Contents. 


tion  how  our  Lord  meant  His  example  and  precept  about  the 
foot-washing  to  be  understood— The  inquirer  would  wish  to  know 
how  these  and  similar  points  were  understood  by  the  first  Christians 
— Reference  to  traditional  rules  and  observances  in  the  Epistles  of 
St.  Paul  ;  in  2  Thess.  ii.  15  ;  in  2  Tim.  i.  13  ;  in  2  Thess.  iii.  6,  10  ; 
in  I  Cor.  vii.  12,  17  ;  in  i  Cor.  xi.  2  ;  in  i  Cor.  xi.  16  ;  and  in 
I  Cor.  xi.  34 — The  being  possessed  of  these  traditions  would  be  a 
great  help  to  the  right  understanding  of  the  New  Testament — Such 
knowledge  can  only  be  obtained  by  ordinary  Christians  through  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer — Qualifications  for  their  work  of  the  com- 
pilers of  this  Book — Why  the  Prayer-Book  is  probably  a  unique 
book  of  its  kind — Deformed  condition  of  the  old  Service-Books, 
when  they  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Reformers — Tests  employed 
by  them  to  discriminate  the  valuable  from  the  worthless  :  i.  Holy 
Scripture — The  devotions  which  would  not  stand  this  test  ;  2.  Primi- 
tive Antiquity— Certainty  that  the  mind  of  the  Apostles  would 
express  itself  in  the  traditional  usages  of  the  Churches  founded 
by  them— Professor  Blunt's  panegyric  on  the  Prayer-Book — Neces- 
sity of  admitting  that  the  Prayer-Book  gives  a  certain  tone  to  the 
Holy  Scripture,  and  insinuates  a  certain  view  of  it — No  devotional 
form,  whether  for  private  or  public  use,  could  help  doing  this  ;  for 
forms  of  devotion  inevitably  convey  doctrine — An  atmosphere 
essential  to  the  life  and  beauty  of  things  on  the  earth  ;  while,  in 
certain  conditions,  the  atmosphere  may  be  charged  with  death 
rather  than  life — Noxious  ecclesiastical  atmosphere  which  wrapped 
round  the  Scriptures  at  the  time  of  the  Reformation — Object  of  the 
Reformers  to  purify  the  atmosphere,  not  to  dispense  with  it — The 
five  helps  which  the  Prayer-Book  gives  to  the  full  interpretation  of 
the  Bible  :  1st.  Expressing  what  is  there  hinted — Question  of  the 
propriety  of  Infant  Baptism  decided  by  the  Prayer-Book  in  the 
affirmative,  on  the  ground  of  primitive  usage — Justin's  testimony  to 
the  Baptism  of  children  in  his  days  makes  it  almost  certain  that  the 
practice  must  have  had  the  sanction  of  the  Apostles  ;  2.  Enlarging 
what  is  there  succinct — The  priesthood  of  the  Christian  Laity  re- 
cognised by  St.  John,  St.  Peter,  and  also  by  St.  Paul — These  intima- 
tions expanded  by  the  Prayer-Book,  which  assigns  to  the  Laity  a 
distinct  part  in  the  Services  of  the  Church,  sometimes  by  directing 
them  to  join  audibly  with  the  Minister  in  the  recital  of  Prayers, 
sometimes  by  putting  responses  into  their  mouth — The  light  thrown 
upon  an  incidental  expression  of  St.  Paul's  Epistles  by  the  fact  that 
all  the  ancient  Liturgies  assign  a  part  to  the  people  in  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  Holy  Communion  ;  3.  Illustrating  what  is  there  obscure 
—Obscurity  of  the  text  about  the  '  Amen  at  thy  giving  of  thanks  ' 
cleared  up  by  Justin's  account  of  a  primitive  celebration— Parti- 
culars of  this  account — '  Eucharist'  a  primitive  name  to  denote  the 
Holy  Communion— The  order  of  our  Communion  Service  very 
similar  to  that  which  is  described  by  Justin  ;  4.  Concentrating  what 
is  there  dispersed— The  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Trinity  gathered  from 
several  places  of  Holy  Scripture,  which  the  Church  has  collected 
into  one  focus  ;  5.  Organizing  what  is  there  promiscuous— The 
testimony  of  'ancient  authors'  to  the  existence  of  a  threefold 
Ministry— The  Scriptural   warrant   for   which  is  to  be  sought  in 


Contents. 


xxvii 

PAGE 


different  connexions,  in  the  Inspired  Volume— The  practical  advic 
which  flows  from  the  consideration  of  the  whole  subject — Let  an 
end  of  Controversy  be  sought  by  accepting  the  Prayer-Book  as  the 
interpretation  of  the  Bible — Questions,  which  this  acceptance  does 
not  set  at  rest,  may  safely  be  left  open  for  the  present— Desirable- 
ness of  an  end  of  Controversy— Danger  of  being  drawn  off  by  specu- 
lative and  controversial  from  personal  and  practical  questions, 
enforced  by  the  story  of  the  woman  of  Samaria — Let  us  put  away 
controversies,  and  address  ourselves  to  the  task  of  growing  in  grace 
and  knowledge,  .......  308 

CATECHISM  ON  Chap.  X., 326 


CHAPTER  I. 

WHAT  THE  CHURCH  IS,  AND  WHEN  AND  HOW 
IT  WAS  FOUNDED. 

"  ^nb  I  snw  also  nnto  thcc,  'iEhitt  thou  nrt  JJctcr,  anb 
upon  this  rock  E  toUl  builb  mg  church." — St.  Matt. 
XVI.  i8. 

".T  BELIEVE  in  the  holy  Catholick  Church." 
-^  How  many  thousands  of  persons  are  there, 
who  recite  these  words  glibly  Sunday  after  Sunday 
in  the  Creed,  who  nevertheless  do  not  believe  in 
the  holy  Catholick  Church,  and  in  whose  mouths 
therefore  this  Article  of  Faith  is  an  idle  word  ! 
And  their  unbelief  is  due  in  great  part,  if  not 
entirely,  to  ignorance.  They  have  been  fairly 
well  instructed  in  those  religious  truths  which 
have  to  do  with  the  individual  soul ;  a  good  deal 
of  information  has  been  communicated  to  them  at 
various  times  about  the  duties,  the  privileges,  and 
the  hopes  of  the  Christian.  Nay,  more  than  this  : 
they  have  learned  something  respecting  the 
Heavenly  Father,  the  Saviour,  the  Comforter; 
they  know  what  are  the  offices  of  the  three  Divine 
Persons  in  the  scheme  of  Human  Piedemption,  and 
they  could  quote  several  texts  in  illustration  of 
those  offices.  But  anything  like  methodized  in-  central  ncrt 
structiou  respecting  the  Church  they  never  re-  f^StiSnon 

.  tlic  subject  of 


What  the  CJiurcJi  is. 


[chap 


ceived  in  tlieir  youth;  and  maturer  years  have 
not  supplied  the  deficiencies  of  early  training. 
This  being  the  case,  they  become  the  easy  victims 
of  any  popular  error  on  the  subject  of  the  Church, 
which  may  happen  to  be  floating  about  in  their 
theological  atmosphere.  One  of  these  errors — a 
very  mischievous  one,  and  the  more  likely  to  mis- 
lead because  it  is  patronized  by  persons  who  have  . 
a  reputation  for  piety,  and  because  it  wears  a 
specious  appearance — confounds  the  Church  with 
God's  elect  people,  whom  only  He  Himself  can 
'  jrjje  inbigi-  for  certain  Jcnow  and  see.  Hence  springs  the 
anunscdp-  crroueous  and  unscriptural  phraseology,  "The 
S"'^''''"' invisible  Church."  There  is  properly  no  such 
thing.  The  Church  of  Holy  Scripture,  whether 
under  the  Old^  or  New  Dispensation,  is  always  a 
visible  body,  which  may  be  known  and  seen, 
established  in  the  earth  to  bear  testimony  to 
God's  Truth,  and  intrusted  with  the  ministration 
of  His  Word  and  Ordinances.  And  the  distinction 
between  the  Church  and  God's  elect  people  (which 
is  what  is  meant  by  "  the  invisible  Church ")  is 
clearly  drawn  by  our  Lord  Himself.  I  should  say 
that  the  word  Church,  in  the  original  Greek  of  the 
New  Testament,  means  "  a  body  calhd  out."  It  is 
derived  from  a  compound  verb ;  that  is,  from  a  verb 
with  a  preposition  prefixed  ;  and  the  verb  means 
"  to  call,"  and  the  preposition  means  "  out."     The 


©tDinolostr 
anU  eignifi- 
cation  of 
tlir  toorti 


^  It  is  strictly  Scriptural  to  speak  of  the  Cliiirch  under 
the  Old  Dispensation.  St.  Stephen  does  so  :  "  This  is  he, 
that  was  in  the.  church  in  the  -wilderness  with  the  angel 
which  spake  to  him  in  the  mount  Sina,  and  with  our  fathers  : 
who  received  the  lively  oracles  to  give  unto  us"  (Acts  vii.  38). 


I.]      and  lohcn  and  how  it  was  founded.     3 

^vords  of  our  Lord  which  I  refer  to  are  as  follows — 
"  Tor  many  are  called,  hut  few  are  clwscn  out  ^  (or  oistincfion 
elect)."     They  occur  in  a  connexion  which  throws  uort"bctto°fn 
great  light  upon  them,  immediately  after  the  Para-  anVibe"'^' 
l)le  of  the  Wedding  Garment,  upon  which  they  c^JXi,.  xr 
i'orm  our  Lord's  comment.    A  great  number  of}5'°"''""- 
people  out  of  the  highways,  of  all  characters  and  st.  fHau. 
circumstances,  had  been  hidden  to  the  wedding ;  ""'  ^^* 
these  are  the  called  ones,  the  members  of  the 
Church,  or  body  called.    One  man  in  the  story,  the  Oc  man 
representative  of  a  great  multitude,  had  not  on  a  mrtsmg 

flarmcnt,  <fif 

^  The  distinction  between  "  calling  "  (KXfJo-ts)  and  "  elec-  of  tijc  calkU 
tion"  (eWo-y^),  "the  called"  (»cX7;rot)  (who,  as  collected  and  ^1)0  art  not 
organized  into  one  bodj',  are  the  eKKXTjcria  or  called  out  "^yosm. 
Society)  and  "the  elect"  {(k\(kto\),  is  carefully  observed  in 
the  New  Testament,  even  in  passages  where  the  two  might 
seem  to  a  superficial  observer  to  be  confounded.  It  is  to  be 
remembered  that  "  calling "  has  a  certain  afiBnity  with 
"election,"  all  the  "elect"  being  " called, "  though  by  no 
means  aU  the  "  called  "  are  "  elect."  In  St.  Peter's  Second 
Epistle  we  find  "  calling "  and  "  election  "  side  by  side  : 
"  Wherefore  the  rather,  brethren,  give  diligence  to  make 
your  calling  and  election  sure  "  (crTrouSdo-are  ^e^aiav  vnav 
TTjv  KXTJaiv  Koi  fKKoyr]v  Troifladai).  It  might  be  inferred 
hence  that  "  calling  "  and  "  election  "  arc  the  same  thing  ; 
but  Holy  Scripture,  which  is  spare  rather  than  lavish  of 
words,  never  uses  two  words  to  express  the  same  idea.  The 
warning  of  the  j>assage  is  that  both  "calling"  and  "elec- 
tion," through  the  perversity  of  the  human  will,  may  fail. 
Judas  was  (like  St.  Paul)  a  called  Apostle  {kXtjtos  arroaToXos) ; 
for  our  Lord,  in  appointing  him,  "called  uuto  Him  whom 
He  would  "  (TrpoCTKaXelrat  oiis  fjdeXfv  avTos),  St.  Mark  iii. 
13,  19;  and  he  was  also  a  chosen  Apostle,  for  our  Lord 
says,  including  him,  "Did  I  not  choose  you  twelve?"  and 
yet  his  "  calling "  and  "election "  failed  ;  he  was  "  a  devil," 
St.  John  vi.  70.  See  the  two  words  in  juxtaposition  in 
Rev.  xviL  14.  "  He "  (the  Lamb)  "  is  Lord  of  lords,  and 
King  of  kings  ;  and  they  that  are  with  Him  are  called, 
and  chosen,  and  faithful "  {kXtjtoI  Ka\  (k\(kto\  koi  Trto-roi)  ; 
not  called  and  chosen  only,  but  such  as  had  made  their  call- 
ing and  election  sure,  having  been  faithful  unto  death,  and 


4  What  the  Church  is,         [chap. 

wedding  garment,  that  is,  though  a  called  one,  a 

member  of  the  Church,  he  had  not  that  spirit  of 

holy  joy  ^  and  love,  which  harmonizes  with  the 

great  solemnity  of  the  marriage  supper  of  the 

Lamb,    He  stands  for  those  who,  though  called,  are 

not  elect  or  chosen,  and  who  would  probably  have 

mijij  tfje      been  represented  as  the  majority  of  the  company, 

rrprfscntftj  ns  if  the  propriety  of  the  story  had  admitted  of  such 

tiif  caiicti  us    a  representation.     But  the  presenting  oneself  at 

on  gone.       ^^  Eastem  wedding  without  that  costume,  wliich 

it  is  the  part  of  the  giver  of  the  entertainment  to 

therefore  inheritiug  "tlie  crown  of  life"  (Rev.  ii.  10).  The 
"  elect"  are  not  "  called"  merely,  but  "  the  called  accord- 
ing to  God's  purpose  "  (Rom.  viii.  28),  to  whom  "  all  things 
work  together  for  good."  We  hear  of  them  under  another 
attribute  in  Acts  ii.  47,  where  they  appear  as  in  course  (or 
process)  of  salvation  :  "  And  the  Lord  went  on  adding  to  the 
Church"  (i.e.  to  the  visible  society)  "  daily  those  who  were 
in  process  of  salvation  "  (for  such  is  the  exact  rendering  of 
the  words,  'O  8e  Kvpios  Trpoaeridei  rovs  crco^o^eVous  ko^' 
ijfxipav  rfi  eKKXrja-iq, — one  of  the  many  passages  in  which  our 
translators  have  hai'dly  been  observant  enough  of  the  force 
of  the  tenses).  The  evidence  of  "  election  "  seems  to  be  the 
Gospel's  coming  to  a  man  "  in  power,  and  in  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  in  much  assurance"  (1  Thess.  i.  5).  The  "call" 
is  seconded  in  such  cases  by  an  inward  experience  of  the 
kind  described.  And  yet  this  inward  experience  does  not 
necessarily  involve  "  faithfulness  unto  death,"  or  secure  the 
person  undergoing  it  for  eternal  life.  We  may  be  both 
"  called  "  and  "  chosen,"  and  yet  not  "  faithful."  My  only 
aim  in  these  observations  is  to  give  consistency  and  harmony 
to  the  phraseology  of  the  New  Testament  on  this  difficult 
subject,  and  I  trust  I  have  not  stumbled  in  the  attempt. 
At  all  events  this  is  certain,  that  'EkkXtjo-io  (Church)  means, 
according  to  its  etymology,  a  body  called  out ;  and  that  the 
idea  conveyed  by  it  is  entirely  distinct  from  that  of  2^eople 
choi^en  out  (fKkeKTol). 

1  This  is  Professor  Archer  Butler's  interpretation  of  the 
Wedding  Garment  in  his  magnificent  sermon  on  that  Par- 
able ;  and  I  have  never  seen  any  which  so  much  approved 
itself  to  my  miiul. 


I.J      and  luhcn  and  how  it  was  founded.     5 

1)10 vide  for  liis  guests,  would  be  quite  an  excep- 
tional case ;  and  our  Lord's  parables  describe 
only  such  cases  as  have  a  certain  amount  of  veri- 
similitude, and  might  have  actually  happened.^ 

It  appears  to  me,  then,  that  a  short  and  simple  '^^^  for  tbt 
treatise,  setting  forth  in  a  methodical  manner  the  twatist. 
doctrine  of  Holy  Scripture  respecting  the  Church, 
may  be  useful,  under  God's  blessing,  in  filling  up  a 
gap  in  the  faith  of  some,  and.  in  bringing  out  into 
the  clearer  consciousness  of  others,  and  giving  a 
logical  consistency  to,  truths  which  are  at  present 
held  by  them  with  somewhat  of  confusion  and 
vagueness. 

^  The  otlier  connexion  in  wliich  the  same  words  occur 
should  not  be  overlooked.  It  is  at  the  close  of  the  Parable 
of  the  Labourers  in  the  Vineyard.  St.  Peter  had  asked  the 
Lord  what  he  and  his  colleagues  should  have  for  the  sacri- 
lioes  they  had  made  in  order  to  follow  Him.  The  Lord 
answered  by  assuring  them  of  an  over-abundant  recom- 
pence  ;  but  at  the  same  time  said  much  to  correct  the  state 
of  mind  out  of  which  the  question  had  grown.  The  ques- 
tioner must  be  warned  first  that  others  called  later  into  the 
vinej'ard,  and  serving  there  a  much  shorter  time  (as  was  the 
case  with  St.  Stephen)  should  be  as  munificently  recom- 
I'cnsed  as  he,  God's  recompences  being  of  grace,  and  not 
mere  mercenary  equivalents  of  the  service  rendered.  This 
teaching  is  conveyed  by  the  story  of  the  labourers  hired  at 
the  eleventh  hour,  who  received  the  same  wages  with  those 
sent  into  the  viueyard  early  in  the  morning.  Secondly,  it  is 
just  to  be  insinuated  to  St.  Peter  that,  notwithstanding  all  the 
sacrifices  made  by  him,  he  maj-  fail  still  (for  has  not  Iscariot 
made  the  same  ?),  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God  alto- 
gether. *'  Know  ye  not  that  they  which  run  in  a  race  run 
all,  but  one  receiveth  the  prize?"  ''Strive  to  enter  in  at 
the  strait  gate ;  for  many,  I  say  unto  you,  will  seek  to  enter 
in,  and  shall  not  be  able."  So  our  Lord  closes  the  parable 
with  the  maxim,  "So  the  last  shaU  be  first,  and  the  first 
last ;  for  many  be  called,  but  few  chosen  ;"  almost  as  if  the 
earlier-called  labourers  had  been  mulcted  altogether  of  their 
wages,  on  account  of  their  churlish  murmuring. 


6  What  the  Church  is,         [chap. 

SSn?         -^"^^  ^^^®  methinks  it  is  quite  possible  that  the 
on  tfje"''"^''  ^'6^^^^''  ^^^^  ^^^  proceeded  only  thus  far,  should  be 
erturcij.        whispering  to  himself—"  Better  write  about  Christ, 
than  write  about  the  Church."    Indeed  !  but  I  was 
under  the  impression  (and  I  imagined  that  I  had 
Scripture  for  it)  that  in  doing  the  one  I  was  doing 
the  other.     I  thought  that  Christ  and  the  Church 
imloSitF)   I  ^^^®  °^® — ^^  entirely  one,  that  He  is  called  the 
artjrist.       ^head  and  she  the  body.  He  the  vinestock  and  she 
khe  branches.  He   the   bridegroom  and  she  the 
A)ride — so  entirely  one,  that  He  feels  and  resents 
as  inflicted  upon  Himself  any  injury  done  to  her, 
according  to  that  word  of  His  own  to  Saul  of 
Tarsus — "  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  Me  ? " 
I  thought  I  had  read  also  that  our  Lord  and  His 
apostle  Paul  went  about  "  preaching  the  kingdom 
of  God ; "  and  I  supposed  that  part  of  the  mean- 
ing (if  not  the  whole  meaning)  of  that  term  was 
the  Church.    And  tell  me,  moreover,  my  reader, 
whether  you  desire  me  to  speak  to  you  faithfully 
the  whole  of  God's  Word,  or  only  such  parts  of  it 
as  you  fancy  most,  and  as  jump  with  the  religious 
views  which  you  have  been  led  to  form.     I  hope 
you  will  say,  "  I  desire  you  to  give  me  the  ivhole;" 
but,  whether  you  desire  it  or  not,  I  am  solemnly 
bound  to  do  it.      And  I  find  in  the  Scriptures  of 
the  New  Testament  not  only  four  most  precious 
books  descriptive  of  Christ,  but  one  book,  in  the 
nature  of  an  appendix,  devoted  to  the  history  of 
that  Church,  which  Christ  in  the  passage  now  be- 
E\)e  9ct3  of   fore  us  proposes  to  build.     The  Book  of  the  Acts 
aninspirco     of  the  Apostles  describcs  the  foundation,  devel- 
icijurctj,        opement,  progress,  and  spread  of  the  Christian 


I  ]     and  when  and  hotv  it  ivas  founded.      7 

Church  ;  nor  does  the  inspired  historian  lay  down 
the  pen,  till  he  has  brought  St.  Paul,  the  great 
preacher  of  God's  Kingdom  among  the  Gentiles, 
to  Eome,  which  was  then  the  mistress  of  the  civili- 
sation of  the  world.  Where  the  Holy  Spirit  devotes 
one  wdiole  book  to  the  history  and  fortunes  of  the 
Church,  can  a  Christian  minister,  wlio  desires 
to  declare  all  the  counsel  of  God  to  his  hearers 
or  readers,  be  justified  in  ignoring  the  subject? 
Let  us  then  open  in  the  present  Chapter  the 
subject  of  the  Church, 

In  all  subjects  of  human  knowledge  a  right 
grounding  is  of  the  utmost  importance.  A  right 
grounding  makes  a  safe  superstructure.  Nay, 
more  than  this.  A  correct  fundamental  principle 
on  any  subject,  once  seized  by  the  mind,  is  often 
more  correctly  likened  to  a  seed  than  to  a  founda- 
tion. A  foundation  is  not  a  house,  and  can  never 
of  itself  become  one;  but  a  seed  is  a  plant  in 
embryo ;  it  will  become  a  plant,  when  the  germ 
is  disentangled  and  developed.  A  Avhole  host  of 
popular  misapprehensions  about  the  Church  is 
put  to  flight,  and  a  right  direction  is  given  to  all 
thoughts  upon  the  subject,  by  simply  embracing 
the  fundamental  Church  truth,  which  is,  that  our  ^^^^  f„ni,a. 
Lord  came  not  simply  to  teach  certain  religious  cijurd)  tnui). 
doctrines,  hut  to  found  a  society ;  and  that  He 
did  what  He  came  to  do, — left  behind  Him,  and 
bequeathed  to  the  world,  not  only  a  large  amount 
of  precious  truth,  which  is  preserved  in  the  volume 
of  the  New  Testament,  but  also  a  gi-eat  Divine 
world-embracing  Society,  having  (as  human  so- 


8  Wkal  the  CImrch  is,         [chap. 

cieties  have)  its  officers,  its  rules,  its  rite  of  admis- 
sion, its  power  of  expulsion,  its  solemn  meetings 
or  assemblies.  Grant  tliis,  and  grant  it  with  a 
living  conviction,  prepared  to  accept  all  the  legiti- 
mate consequences  which  it  draws  after  it  in  its 
train,  and  you  have  already  mastered  a  great  part 
of  the  truth  respecting  the  Church.  And  grant  it 
you  must,  if  you  desire  to  be  guided  by  God's 
Word.  In  the  passage  which  stands  at  the  head 
jirst  an-       of  tliis  Chapter,  our  Blessed  Lord  announces  His 

nouncftncnt  ,  .      . 

ofouriLorH'B  intention   of  building  a  Church,  and  of  build- 

nurpDge  of  .      .  '^ 

nuiiuinB  tf)e    ing  it,  in  some  sense  (to  be  presently  explained), 
upon  the  apostle  Peter.     "  I  say  also  unto  tluel' 
(St.  Peter  had  just  confessed  our  Lord  to  be  "the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God  ;"  and  now  our 
Lord  is  about  to  confess  liim  before  His  Father 
and  the  holy  angels, — to  tell  St.  Peter  what  lie 
is)  "  That  thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I 
will  build  my  Church."     In  which  words  we  ob- 
serve first,  that  the  Church  was  not  actually  built 
when  the  words  ^  were   spoken — an  observation 
which  may  throw  some  light  upon  its  character. 
3Kcagonfaf)5  For  wliy  does  not  our  Lord  recognise  the  little 
ciadpiea       group  of  disciples,  who  gathered  round  Him  in 
foagunan      the  days  01  His  earthly  pilgrimage,  as  m  itself 
not  a  dfjurd).  a    Cliurcli  ?      Did   not    the   Apostles   and    holy 
women,   and   all  those   who   during   our   Lord's 

1  The  same  fact — that  the  Christian  Church  was  not  in 
existence  in  our  Lord's  own  time — might  be  infeired  from 
the  scanty  mention  of  it  in  the  Gosjiels, — this  and  St.  Matt. 
xviii.  17  l)eing  the  only  places  where  the  word  occurs.  In 
the  Acts  it  occurs  twenty-one  times,  and  in  St.  Paul's 
Epistles  and  the  Revelation  frequently.  The  thing  rejire- 
sented  by  it  was  then  in  existence. 


I.]     and  what  and  how  it  was  founded.      9 

life  were  attracted  by  His  miracles  and  teaching, 
and  who  with  Peter  confessed  Him  to  be  the 
Christ  the  Son  of  God,  of  themselves  constitute  a 
Church  ?  Not  in  strictness  of  speech.  And  why 
not  ?  Because  a  number  of  believers  in  Christ, 
not  gathered  into  one  society,  wanting  organiza- 
tion and  mutual  interdependence,  are  not  a  Church. 
A  Church  is  not  an  aggregation  of  believers,  but  a  Diffn-mte 
lochj  (or  society)  of  believers.  There  is  a  great  JSfBatfo"n ' 
difference  between  an  aggregation  and  a  body.  A  °"'' "  '"'^''* 
body  is  not  a  heap  of  members  (if  foot,  and  hand, 
and  eye,  and  ear,  were  fashioned  separately,  with- 
out any  coherence  or  common  principle  of  life, 
this  would  not  be  a  body) ;  but  it  is  a  system  of 
members  knit  together  into  one  organism,  and  per- 
vaded by  one  life.  Or  (to  borrow  an  illustration 
from  the  vegetable  world), if  you  severed,  and  placed 
together  in  a  heap,  the  stock,  the  branches,  the 
leaves,  and  the  clusters  of  a  vine,  this  would  not 
be  a  vine.  A  vine  is  a  tree,  through  whose  stem 
the  sap  rises  in  spring,  and  circulates  through  the 
branches,  and  pours  itself  in  rich  luxuriance 
through  every  tendril  and  sucker.  Now,  like  a 
body,  and  like  a  tree,  the  Church  is  a  living 
organism,  deriving  from  Christ  (who  is  its  Head, 
if  we  regard  it  as  a  body ;  its  Eoot,  if  we  regard  it 
as  a  tree)  the  life  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  the 
vitalizing,  organizing,  cementing  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  came  down  into  the  community  of  the 
disciples  on  the  feast  of  Pentecost,  ten  days  after 
their  Master's  ascension  into  Heaven,  forming 
them  into  what  they  had  never  been  before — one 
Body,  the  Body  of  Christ,  or  the  Church. 


lo  What  the  Chtirch  is,         [chap. 

If  then  the  Church  was  built  for  the  first  time, 
or  rather  hcgcm  to  he  built,  on  the  feast  of  Pente- 
cost, is  there  any  allusion  to  the  transactions  of 
that  clay  in  the  words  before  us  ?    Most  assuredly 
there  is.     Certainly  Scripture  hangs  together  with 
Scripture,  all  Scripture  having  been   given  by 
inspiration  of  God,  with  a  wonderful  coherence. 
St.  33etct'8     AVlio  was   the   prominent    character — who    took 
procfrtinss    the   leading   part — in    the    proceedings    of    the 
|3mtao0t.°    day   of  Pentecost?     Clearly  St.  Peter.     It  was 
he    who   preached   the    first    Christian   sermon, 
— a   sermon    attended   with   marvellous    effects, 
for  it  was   the   instrument  of  converting  three 
thousand  souls.     It  was  he,  under  whose  sanc- 
tion  (and   probably   in    many   cases    by  whose 
hand)  "  they  that  gladly  received  his  word  were 
igigntimis-    baptized."     Again,  it  was  he  who  admitted  the 
fficntiuX.   Gentiles  to  the  Church  in  the  person  of  Cor- 
tSSsonVf^nelius    and    his    near    friends.       The    proceed- 
ffiorncUus.     ^^^^^  ^^  ^^^^^  occasion  were  of  much  the  same 
character.      A    simple    sermon   from   St.   Peter, 
bearing   brief  testimony  to   the   character,  life, 
death,  and  resurrection  of  Jesus,  was  the  first  of 
these  proceedings.     Then  the  Holy  Ghost  feU  on 
the  hearers,  with  precisely  the  same  effect  as  at 
Pentecost, — the  speaking  with  tongues.     But  the 
ordained  form  of  admission  to  the  Church,  the 
form  which  our  Saviour  before  His  ascension  had 
solemnly  enjoined,  had  yet  to  be  complied  with, 
and  was  complied  with;  for  they  who  had  re- 
ceived the  inward  spiritual  grace  of  the  Sacra- 
ment of  Baptism  could  not  with  propriety  be 
denied  its  outward  sign.     "  Can  any  man  forbid 


i]     and  Ziehen  and  hozv  it  ivas  foimdcd.     i  i 

TiiE^  water,  that  these  should  not  be  baptized, 
which  have   received   the  Holy  Ghost  as  well 
as  we  ? "     So  St.  Peter  "  commanded  them  to  be 
baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord."     By  these 
great  acts    of  the   ministry  of    St.   Peter  two  srfjetbjo 
predictions  of  our  Lord  respecting  the  future  of  fc"pcdinr 
that  Apostle  were  fulfilled.     The  one  was  uttered  mintairu'a^no 
immediately  after  the  first  miraculous  draught  of  J,ic,u."'^" 
fishes;   "Fear  not;  from  henceforth  thou   shalt 
catch  men."    (Was  it  not  indeed  catching  men  in 
the  Gospel  net,  when  by  one  act  of  his  ministry  he 
converted  three  thousand  souls  ?)   The  second  pre- 
diction is  in  the  words  before  us,  and  it  is  quite 
as  personal  to  St.  Peter, — has  quite  as  little  to  do 
with  any  official  successors  (or  imagined  official 
successors)  of  the  Apostle,  as   the  earlier   one. 
The  word  Peter  in  the  original  language  of  the  fHcnning  of 
New  Testament  means  a  stone,  while  the  feminine  '^^jJur/^nu 
form  of  the  word,  which  is  used  in  the  latter  f"g^o^^  of  i,g 
clause,  means  a  rock.     What  our  Lord  declares  is  j'nlo^ijj''""^'^ 
that  St.  Peter's  work  should  agree  with  his  name  ;  fo'J'^"\"nii]e 
and  doubtless  the  words  would  have  been,  "  Thou  pjojjjfjj^to 
art  Peter,  and  upon  this  stone  I  will  build  my  ^'-  ^''"• 
Church,"  if  this  would  not  have  violated  the  pro- 
priety of  the  figure.     Houses  never  are  built  upon 
a  single  stone ;  but  they  may  be  built  upon  a 
rock.     Therefore  our  Lord  changes  the  word  into 
the  feminine,  while  He  retains  the  play  upon  it. 

*  It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  in  the  Authorized  Version 
of  Acts  X.  47,  our  translators  have  neglected  to  represent 
the  definite  article.  Cornelius  and  his  friends  had  received 
the  "  inward  spiritual  grace  "  of  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism. 
St.  Peter's  argument  is,  "  Can  any  one  refuse  them  the  water 
—  the  outward  visible  sign  ?" 


What  the  C/mi^ch  is,         [chap. 


St.  i3nul, 


ant  all  tfje 
QonstlcB,  as 
farll  as  St. 
53ftrr,  'cam 
laucrs  of 
founCatuins. 


St.  \Mtx 
tijr  tatlifst 
laocr  of  the 
fountiation. 


(And,  if  our  Lord  did  not  speak  in  Greek,  but  in 
Aramaic,  this  remark  will  equally  well  apply  to 
St.  Matthew's  version  of  His  words,  which  of 
course  was  given  by  inspiration.)  The  meaning 
is,  that  St,  Peter  was  destined,  in  the  order  of 
God's  Providence,  to  lay  the  first  foundation  of 
the  Church.  I  say  the  first  or  earliest  founda- 
tion. Others  laid  foundations  as  well  as  he. 
St,  Paul  did  so,  and  says  he  did  so.  "  As  a  wise 
master-builder,  I  have  laid  the  foundation,  and 
another  buildeth  thereon,"  Any  man  who  is 
the  first  to  preach  Christ,  and  win  souls  to  Christ 
in  a  particular  district,  lays  the  foundation  in  that 
district.  As  it  is  said  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Eomans,  "Yea,  so  have  I  strived  to  preach  the 
gospel,  not  where  Christ  was  named,  lest  I 
should  build  upon  another  man's  foundation."  All 
the  Apostles  laid  foundations,  each  in  his  own 
sphere,  and  are  recognised  as  having  done  so  in 
that  noble  passage  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians ; 

"  Ye  are fellow-citizens  with  the  saints, 

and  of  the  household  of  God ;  and  are  built  upon 
the  foundation  of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus 
Christ  himself  being  the  chief  corner-stone," 
And  in  the  Book  of  the  Ptevelation  this  funda- 
mental character  of  the  work  of  the  Apostles 
is  exhibited  symbolically  in  the  description  of 
the  New  Jerusalem,  which  represents  the  Church 
triumphant.  "And  the  wall  of  the  city  had 
twelve  foundations,  and  in  them  the  names 
of  the  twelve  apostles  of  the  Lamb,"  But  St, 
Peter  laid  the  earliest  foundation  (in  point  of 
time)    which   ever  was   laid;    and  it  need   not 


I.]    and  wJien  and  Jiozu  it  was  founded.     \  3 

therefore  surprise  us  to  hear  Christ  announcing 
that  He  intends  to  build  His  Church  upon  Peter, 
that  is,  upon  Peter's  ministry,  his  ministry  having 
been  the  earliest  Christian  ministry  ever  exer- 
cised. If  it  be  desired  further  to  obviate  any 
erroneous  inference  which  might  be  drawn  from 
the  words,  and  any  trenching  upon  the  preroga- 
tives of  the  Blessed  Saviour,  (though  why  should 
we  be  so  afraid  of  the  plain  sense  of  God's  Word 
misleading  ?  is  God  unable  to  guard  His  own 
phraseology  ?  must  we  for  ever  be  putting  forth 
our  hands,  Uzzah-like,  to  the  sacred  ark,  as  if  He 
who  sitteth  between  the  cherubim  were  not  able 
to  protect  it,  when  the  blundering  oxen  stumble  ?) 
we  may  remark,  with  Bengel  (though  perhaps  it  is  ismgd's  iiis- 
a  little  too  subtle),  that  the  Church  is  not  said  Kto°m 
to  be  founded  upon  Peter,  but  huilt  upon  him.  Si'iS'"' 
Christ  is  the  only  foundation  for  trust  and  reli- '  ^"'^^'^•' 
ance  ;  and,  in  this  aspect  of  the  subject,  Peter  is 
one  of  thfe  living  stones  built  upon  Christ.  But 
all  that  the  text  implies  is,  that  St.  Peter  was  the 
prominent  human  minister  in  the  Church's  begin- 
nings. And  the  Book  of  the  Acts  shows  most 
clearly  that  he  was  so. 

But  a  truce  to  interpretations.  Let  us  contem- 
plate calmly  for  a  time  the  position  which  we  have 
arrived  at  from  the  study  of  this  fundamental  pas- 
sage, compared  with  other  parts  of  Holy  Scripture. 
It  is  this  :  Christ  proposed  to  found,  and  did  found, 
by  the  ministry  of  St.  Peter  originally,  a  certain 
organized  society,  called  the  Christian  Church, 
which  "  all  nations"  were  invited  to  join,  and  which 
is  therefore  called  Catholick  or  universal — a  societv 


^ 


14  What  the  ChurcJi  is,         [chap. 

having,  as  every  other  society  has,  its  officers,  in- 
stitutions, rite  of  admission,  and  rules.     Why,  we 
amijH  n^xiii  may  be  permitted  to  ask,  did  He  do  so  ?    Why 
socirtD,  as      should  tlic  Sou  of  God  appear  as  the  Founder  of 
a  rciision.     a  society  no  less  than  as  the  Teacher  of  a  religion? 
/Was  there  not  something  grand  and  high-sounding 
in  the  professions  of  Socrates,  that  he  would  not 
found  a  school  at  all,  or  attempt  to  perpetuate  his 
doctrines  by  committing  them  to  the  guardianship 
of  men,  and  trying  to  win  adherents  to  them,  but 
simply  set  forth  the  truth  and  expose  error,  and 
throw  his  arguments  upon  the  world,  to  commend 
themselves  as  they  might  to  the  minds  and  con- 
sciences of  the  hearers  ?     Truth  may  be  spoken 
pure  and  without  alloy  (you  have  it  in  this  form 
i^fBfeof        in  the  Holy  Scriptures);  but  it  is  impossible  to 
forminjlT '"  forni  a  society  of  men,  which  shall  be  always  pure 
^°"'^*         and  true  to  the  principles  of  its  foundation;  for 
men  are  fallen  creatures,  and  will  bring  their  evil 
with  them  sooner  or  later  into  a  society  formed 
for  the  best  ends.    Then,  this  being  the  case,  why 
did  our  Lord  found  a  society  at  all,  at  the  risk  of 
having  His  work  marred  and  disfigured  (as  it  often 
has  been  grievously  marred  and  disfigured)  by 
men  ?     The  reason  no  doubt  is,  that  it  is  His  good 
pleasure  to  sanctify  and  save  man  as  he  is,  to 
cou's         build  the  new  man  upon  the  same  platform  as  the 
rmctoing       old, — not  to  construct  another  creature,  but  to 
reconstruct-    raisc  up  and  reform  the  creature  which  had  fallen, 
ms  Jim.       -^Qyf  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  man,  as  he  came 
from  his  Creator's  hands,  was  social  and  made  for 
society.     Society  was  the  first  want  experienced 
by  man,  and  it  was  experienced  while  yet  he  was 


I.]    and  when  and  Jiow  it  was  founded.     \  5 

ill  a  state  of  innocence,  so  that  the  instincts  which 
draw  men  to  one  another  in  no  way  came  in  with 
the  Fall.  "  It  is  not  good  that  the  man  should  he  sorictn  man's 
alone,"  was  the  first  observation  made  by  the  wise  '^"^  ^^' 
Creator  upon  the  rational  creature  whom  He  had 
introduced  into  Paradise  as  its  lord.  And  ac- 
cordingly, even  in  the  Paradise  state,  marriage 
was  found  to  be  a  necessity,  and  instituted.  And 
what  is  marriage  but  the  rudiment  of  all  societies, 
itself  the  first  society,  from  which  all  others  spring, 
out  of  which  all  others  are  developed  ?  For  this 
society  of  two  is  the  means  of  continuing  our 
race;  so  that  round  the  parents  there  speedily 
springs  up  a  group  of  children.  Then,  in  the  re- 
lation between  the  parents  and  the  children,  you 
discern  (in  its  earliest  form)  law,  subjection,  dis- 
cipline— the  bonds  these  by  which  society  is  held 
together.  The  parents  are  to  be  honoured  and 
obeyed ;  for  a  time  they  are  in  the  place  of  God ; 
their  will  is  to  be  the  child's  law.  When  the 
children  grow  up,  they  too  marry,  and  form 
separate  households;  and  then  speedily,  in  the 
multiplication  of  families,  mutual  need  (as  also 
the  desire  of  security)  draws  men  together,  one 
man  producing  by  his  work  what  his  neighbour 
wants,  and  taking  his  neighbour's  produce  in  ex- 
change for  his  own.  And  thus  is  gradually  formed 
a  state,  which  is  only  the  family  developed ;  the 
king  or  chief  magistrate  representing  the  parent 
or  patriarch,  and  ruling  and  punishing,  of  course 
on  a  larger  scale,  but  on  much  the  same  principle, 
as  a  father  does.  And  that  this  living  together 
in  community  is  the  true  natural  state  of  man — 


1 6  What  the  CJmrch  is,         [chap. 

the  state  for  which  he  was  originally  designed — 

you  may  see  not  only  from  the  inspired  account 

of  his  creation,  and  from  the  necessities  which 

Instincts  of   draw  men  together,  hut  also  from  some  of  the 

t)uman  nature  .        .  , 

fotiii)  5iaijc     strongest  instincts  and  passions  of  our  nature, 
racMton       which  have  no  meanincf  except  in  reference  to 

tf)et)Bpotiitgis         .    ,  ^-..  11  1 

of i)ig  being    society.     Why  was  benevolence,  why  was  com- 

a  social  .  .        ''  ,  ^,  .,•         ^^     , 

creature.       passion  given  us,  except  on  the  supposition  that 

there  would  be  those  around  us,  to  whom  they 

Instincts  of   would  need  to  be  exercised?  why  the  instincts 

loDC  anl)  .  ,  •' 

fricnijsbip.     of  love  and  friendship,  unless  we  were  designed 
to  be  drawn  together  into  one  body  ? 

This  then  being  the  original  nature  and  con- 
stitution of  man,  it  pleases  God  to  accommodate 
Himself  to  this  nature  in  redeeming,  sanctifying, 
and  saving  him.  He  is  to  be  saved,  not  as  an 
independent  member  of  the  human  family,  but  in 
combination  with  others.  And  therefore  not 
only  has  the  Lord  Jesus  given  him  a  supernatural 
and  revealed  truth  (in  His  own  teaching),  by  the 
action  of  which  upon  his  conscience  he  is  to  be 
sanctified,  but  has  founded  for  him  also  a  super- 
natural Society,  into  which  He  brings  him  by  one 
Sacrament,  and  continues  him  by  another  Sacra- 
ment, conferring  supernatural  grace, — a  Society 
which  has  officers  diviaely  commissioned,  institu- 
tions divinely  ordained,  and  a  law  divinely  given. 
And  this  Society  is  the  Church,  or  kingdom  of 
Christ  upon  earth. 

Upon  the  subject  thus  expounded  a  great  many 
thoughts  arise,  fatal  to  certain  popular  views  of  Ee- 
ligiou,  which  nevertheless  have  obtained  a  very  wide 
currency.     For  what  has  been  said  raises  another 


I.]    and  zuhcii  and  hoiu  it  %i.'as  founded,    i  7 

and  distinct  issue  for  each  one  of  us,  in  addition  anotfirt  issue 
to  the  question  •whether  we  are  receiving  into  our  bcsiDcs  tbe 
hearts  and  minds  the  truths  whicli  Christ  taught,  bjijcthrr  fat 
whether  we  are  real  believers  in  those  truths,  so  trutiis  tabitb 
as  to  be  li\ing  under  their  influence.     Another  taujjijt. 
question  we  must  now  ask  ourselves,  hardly  less 
important,  perhaps,  than  the  one  just  stated, — 
whether  we  are  members  of  the  Society  which 
Christ  founded.     It  is  easy  to  see  how  different 
this  is  from  the  foregoing.   A  man  believes  Christ's 
truth  by  the  action  of  his  own  mind  and  heart, 
under  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  quite  inde- 
pendently of  any  other  person's  agency.     It  is  a 
matter  wholly  between  himself  and  God.     But  no  a  man  can- 
man,  by  the  action  of  his  own  mmd  and  heart,  Jumscifa 

11.  IP  1  n  •  Ti      rnrmbfT  of  a 

can  make  himself  a  member  of  any  society.  I  do  socirtD.  but 
not  become  a  member  of  a  society  by  sympathizing  aumituu  bg 
with  the  objects  of  the  society,  nor  even  by  doing  ° 
its  work.  A  man  does  not  become  a  member  of 
the  Gospel  Propagation  Society,  because  he  feels 
a  warm  interest  in  spreading  the  Gospel,  nor  even 
because  he  does  his  best  to  spread  the  Gospel  at 
home  and  abroad.  A  man  does  not  become  a 
member  of  a  Cathedral  foundation,  because  he 
likes  Cathedral  Service,  or  thinks  that  Cathedrals 
may  do  a  very  good  work  for  religion  and  the 
Church.  The  Gospel  Propagation  Society  (like 
every  other  society)  has  certain  rules  about  the 
qualification  and  admission  of  its  members ;  and 
nothing  else  but  compliance  ^\ith  those  rides  can 
make  any  one  a  member.  The  various  members 
of  Cathedral  bodies  are  appointed  and  admitted  in 
different  ways ;  and  unless  a  man  has  been  ap- 

B 


Wkai  the  CJnwch  is,         [chap. 


.  i^ECC80it)3  or 

s/'  BiJmigsio'n 
into  tte 
ffiijurnj. 


an  tiistoricnl 
tontinmtg  to 
tl)e  iUmtitg  of 
eocictits. 


I3iffcrmc£  of 
appearance 
not  incompa- 
liblc  toitJ) 
iljentttg. 


pointed  and  admitted  in  one  of  these  ways,  the 
utmost  sympathy  with  Cathedrals,  and  the  utmost 
interest  in  their  work,  will  not  put  him  on  a 
Cathedral  foundation.  And,  in  like  manner,  the 
fact  of  a  man's  loving  and  prizing  the  holy  truths 
which  our  Eedeemer  taught,  and  even  trying  to 
bring  other  people  under  their  power,  by  no  means 
proves  that  he  belongs  to  the  Society  which  Christ 
founded.  That  Society  must  take  him  up,  must 
engraft  him  into  its  bosom,  must  adopt  and  admit 
him  according  to  its  own  rules,  before  he  can  be- 
come a  member  of  it. 

But  possibly  my  reader  thinks  that  there  is  no 
doubt  at  all  about  his  own  membership  in  this 
Society.  You  belong,  if  not  to  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, yet  to  what  is  called  a  Christian  denomina- 
tion ;  and  you  were  baptized  when  an  infant, — is 
not  that  enough  to  make  you  a  member?  Suffer  me 
still  to  ask  whether  you  are  well  assured  that  the 
religious  community  to  which  you  belong — ^be  it 
the  Church  of  England,  or  any  other — is  indeed  the 
very  Society  which  Christ  founded  by  the  ministry 
of  St.  Peter  ?  For  myself,  I  am  utterly  at  a  loss 
to  see  how  this  can  be,  unless  your  community 
can  trace  historically  back  to  the  ministry  of 
St.  Peter.  Eemember  there  must  never  be  any 
new  beginning  made,  if  it  is  to  be  Christ's  own 
Society.  A  society  may  have  altered  very  much 
in  many  respects,  and  yet  be  the  same  (just  as  the 
body  of  a  gTOwn  man  looks  very  different  from,  but 
yet  is  identical  with,  that  which  he  had  as  a  child) ; 
but  it  cannot  be  the  same,  if  a  new  foundation  is 
made.     The  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 


I.]    and  when  and  Jiow  it  luas  founded.     19 

Gospel  is  in  many  respects  very  different  from 
what  it  was  when  it  first  started ;  it  lias  a  vastly 
greater  number  of  members ;  it  has  modified  some 
of  its  laws,  repealed  others,  perhaps  added  others ; 
but  it  is  still  the  Gospel  Propagation  Society, 
incorporated  by  Eoyal  Charter.  But  if  a  good  man, 
thinking  there  is  not  now  enough  of  missionary 
agency  in  the  world,  should  set  up  another  mis- 
sionary society,  and  call  it  the  Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Gospel,  and  adopt  the  same 
rules  and  the  same  terms  of  admission,  and  con- 
struct eveiy thing  on  much  the  same  plan,  only 
without  procuring  a  Eoyal  Charter  of  Incorporation, 
this,  while  there  might  be  ever  so  much  outward 
resemblance,  would  be  another  society  altogether. 
An  old  Gothic  tower,  some  part  of  which  has  rnusfrafian 
been  dilapidated  by  lapse  of  time,  and  which  ["tm."^^'" 
the  ivy  has  overgrown,  flaunting  down  over  the 
windows,  and  shutting  out  the  blessed  light  of 
heaven,  does  not  become  a  new  tower  by  having 
the  ivy  cut  away  and  the  dilapidations  repaired;  it 
is  the  same  tower  still,  only  different  in  appearance. 
But  if  the  proprietor  should  go  to  another  part  of 
his  estate,  and  there  should  build  another  tower 
of  exactly  the  same  size  and  architecture  with 
the  former — that  is,  strictly  speaking,  a  new  tower, 
and  not  the  one  which  he  inherited  from  his  old 
feudal  ancestor.  And,  in  like  manner,  no  man 
can,  in  a  late  period  of  the  world's  history,  set  up 
a  new  Christian  communion  independent  of,  and 
not  deriving  from,  that  founded  by  the  ministry 
of  St.  Peter,  which  shall  have  any  sort  of  claim  to 
be  the  Christian  Church.     The  mere  fact  of  its 


20  What  the  Church  is,  [chap. 

being  lilce  the  Christian  Church,  and  doing  the 
the  things  the  Christian  Church  does, — the  fact 
of  its  preaching,  and  circulating  the  Scriptures, 
and  baptizing,  and  administering  the  Communion, 
— cannot  make  it  the  Church,  The  question  is, 
imporfnncc  of  How  was  the  appointment  of  ministers  (or  Church- 
succresionf'"  officers)  made  in  that  communion?  A  man 
cannot  possibly  appoint  himself  a  minister,  any 
more  than  he  can  baptize  himself.  Previous 
ministers  must  make  him  a  minister,  and  they  in 
their  turn  must  have  been  ordained  by  those 
before  them,  and  they  again  by  earlier  ministers, 
and  so  on  till  we  come  to  St.  Peter,  St.  Paul, 
St.  John,  and  the  other  Apostles,  who  by  the 
Lord's  own  Eoyal  Charter  of  Incorporation,  and 
as  it  were  under  His  hand  and  seal,  were  the  first 
to  send  forth  ministers  into  the  Lord's  vineyard. 

The  only  Reformed  Communion  in  England, 
which  can  found  any  claim  to  tlie  Ministerial 
Succession  from  Christ  and  His  Apostles  is  our 
own  Church  of  England  at  present  by  law  estab- 
lished, but  which  would  be  the  only  true  Church 
of  Christ  in  England,  if  she  were  disestablished, 
ffl^emoman  (As  for  the  Eoman  Church  in  England,  while  we 
Sr^iarSTn  do  not  deny  it  the  Succession,  yet  we  may  truly 
i^uStt."^^  say  that  it  is  an  intruder,  foisted  in  by  the  Bishop 
of  Ptome,  contrary  to  the  first  principles  of  Church 
Discipline,  upon  Dioceses  the  Bishops  and  Clergy  of 
which,  at  the  Eeformation,  threw  off  the  yoke  which 
he  had  imposed  upon  Christendom,  and  rejected 
the  superstitions  which  he  still  countenanced.) 
She  and  she  alone  is  the  ancient  tower  of  Christ's 
foundation ;  but  at  the  time  of  the  Reformation  she 


I.]    and  zi'/icn  and  how  it  was  founded.     2 1 

had  become  obscured  aud  dilapidated  by  the  ivy  of 

old  superstitions  and  abuses,  which  in  the  long 

lapse  of  ages  had  grown  over  her,  and  which  had 

shut  out  the  blessed  light  that  beams  forth  from 

the  pages  of  God's  Word.     Then  arose  those  wise,  ^\\zmm 

holy,  and  dutiful  men,  the  English   Reformers,  «:f)utcb  otots 

who,  without  building  on  another  foundation,  or  LUformCTB. 

in  any  way  disconnecting  the  Church  with  its 

spiritual  ancestry  and  antecedents,  pruned  away 

the    flaunting,    disintegrating,    mischief-working 

ivy,  and  allowed  the  light  of  heaven  to  stream 

into   the   building   once   more.      Let   this  great  zv  nu? 

T  ,  r,  ...  ,  p  movnl  tffcct  of 

advantage  of  our  position,  as  members  of  a  com-  the  asbantasc 
munioii  built  on  the  foundation  of  the  Apostles  uon^as^f ' 
and  Prophets,  and  yet  scriptural  and  pure  in  its  ^ncrlrWo- 
doctrine,  breed  in  us,  not  an  arrogant  censure  of  dposfXai. 
others  less  favoured  than  ourselves,  but  rather  a 
deep  humiliation  for  our  own  shortcomings  among 
so  many  great  privileges,  and  a  humble  thankful- 
ness to   God,  whose   Providence  has   placed  us 
where  we  are.    And  while  we  never  presume  to 
judge   other   Communions,  nor  forget  what  our 
Lord  said  in  reference  to  the  man  who  cast  out 
devils  in  His  name,  and  yet  followed  not  with  the 
Apostles — "  He  that  is  not  against  us  is  ou  our 
part," — let  us  maintain  our  own  connexion  with 
the   foundation   of  Christ's  laying  as  being  un- 
assailable, through  whatever  storms  our  Church 
may  be   destined  to  pass.      Even  should  State  rf)c  CTjurrfj's 
Patronage  be  withdrawn,  her  high  spiritual  lineage  fSr' 
cannot  iail  her,  and  fidelity  to  her  principles  will  i"  su'u  "^' 
insure  her  the  presence  and  protection  of  Him,  *^^'""°2c. 
who   was   in   the  Apostles'  fishing-boat,   though 


2  2  Catechism.  [chap. 

asleep,   when  the  winds   raved   and  the  waves 
surged  around  her. 

"  God  is  our  refuge  and  strength,  a  very  pre- 
sent help  in  trouble.  Therefore  will  not  we  fear, 
though  the  earth  be  removed,  and  though  the 
mountains  be  carried  into  the  midst  of  the  sea; 
though  the  waters  thereof  roar  and  be  troubled, 
though  the  mountains  shake  with  the  swelling 
thereof.  .  .  .  God  is  in  the  midst  of  her;  she  shall 
not  be  moved :  God  shall  help  her,  and  that  right 
early." 


Catcrht0m  011  ^liap.  i. 

1.  CafecMst. — The  Church  is  to  form  the  subject  of 
instructiou  in  this  Catechism.  How  may  we 
know  that  it  is  a  subject  of  great  importance  ? 

Answer. — Because  belief  in  the  Church  is  a  part 
of  the  Christian  faith.  In  the  Apostles'  Creed  we  say, 
"I  believe  in  the  holy  Catholick  Church;"  in  the 
Nicene  Creed,  "  I  believe  one  Catholick  and  Apostolick 
Church."  These  Creeds  are  very  short  summaries  of 
the  things  to  be  believed  by  Christians,  in  which  only 
the  most  important  matters  are  touched  upon,  and 
many  truths,  clearly  laid  down  in  Holy  Scripture,  are 
not  at  all  alluded  to. 

2.  Catechist. — Give  me  some  other  reasons  for  think- 
ing the  subject  of  the  Church  to  be  one  of  great 
importance. 

Ansioer. —  Because  one  whole  book  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament, the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  is  devoted  to  the 
history  of  the  Church,  beginning  with  its  foundation 
by  the  ministry  of  St.  Peter,  and  ending  with  its  plan- 
tation in  Rome,  the  capital  of  the  world,  by  the  minis- 
try of  St.  Paul. 

3.  Catechist. — This  is  a  good  reason,  as  far  as  it  goes. 
But  give  me  a  better  reason  still. 


I.]  Catechism.  23 

Ansxfer. — The  near  relation  of  the  Church  to  Christ 
makes  the  Church  a  subject  of  tlie  highest  importance. 
This  relation  is  so  intimate  that  He  is  called  the  Head, 
and  the  Church  His  body  (Eph.  i.  22,  23  ;  Col.  i. 
18,  24) ;  He  the  Vine-stock,  and  she  the  vine  (St.  John 
XV.  1,  2,  5) ;  He  the  Brideprroom,  and  she  the  bride 
(Eph.  V.  25-32  ;  2  Cor.  xi.  2  ;  Rom.  vii.  4 ;  St.  Matt. 
XXV.  1,  2  ;  Rev.  xix.  9). 

4.  Question. — Where  does  our  Lord  Himself  recog- 

nise the  truth  that  He  and  His  Church  are  one  ? 
Ansicer. — In  His  words  to  Saul  of  Tarsus,  of  which 
we  have  three  reports  in  Holy  Scripture,  one  from  the 
pen  of  St.  Luke  (Acts  ix.  4),  and  two  from  St.  Paul's 
own  mouth  (Acts  xxii.  7  and  xxvi.  14).  The  words 
are,  "Saul,  Saul,  why  persccutest  thou  me?"  Saul 
had  not  persecuted  the  Lord  Jesus  Himself;  probably 
had  never  seen  Him  while  He  was  upon  earth.  But 
he  had  persecuted  bitterly  the  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  (Acts  ix.  1,  2;  xxii.  4;  xxvi.  10,  11). 
And,  because  Christ  is  one  with  His  Church,  whatso- 
ever is  done  to  the  least  member  of  His  body  He 
counts  as  done  to  Himself  (see  St.  Matt.  xxv.  40,  45). 
For  indeed,  as  St.  Paul  says  in  his  Epistle  to  the 
Ephesians,  where  he  compares  the  union  betwixt  Christ 
and  His  Church  to  that  between  man  and  wife,  who 
"  are  no  more  twain,  but  one  flesh  "  (St.  Matt.  xix.  6), 
"  "We  are  members  of  his  body,  of  his  flesh,  and  of  his 
bones  "  (Eph.  v.  30). 

5.  Question. — But  did  the  Apostles  and  early  mis- 
sionaries make  the  Church  a  subject  of  their 
preaching  ? 

Answer. — They  did.  The  twelve  Apostles  were 
originally  sent  "to  preach  the  kingdom  of  God  ;"  and 
so  were  the  seventy  disciples  (St.  Luke  ix.  2,  and  x.  9). 
St.  Philip  the  Deacon  preached  "  the  things  concerning 
the  kingdom  of  God"  (Acts  viii.  12).  St.  Paul  de- 
scribes his  whole  ministry  at  Ephcsus  as  a  "  preach- 
ing" of  "the  kingdom  of  God"  (Acts  xx.  25.  See 
also  ch.  xix.  8).  At  Rome,  too,  he  "  expounded  and 
testified  the  kingdom  of  God,"  and  "  preached  "  it  for 


24  C'^  techism .  [chap. 

*'  two  whole  years  "  (Acts  xsviii.  23,  31).  Now,  al- 
thougli  the  kingdom  of  God  has  yet  to  be  developed  in 
glory,  and  some  things  said  of  it  in  the  New  Testament 
refer  to  this  future  developement  (as,  for  instance, 
"  Flesh  and  blood  cannot  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God  " 
(1  Cor.  XV.  50),  and  "  Know  ye  not  that  the  un- 
righteous shall  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God  ? " 
(1  Cor.  vi.  9)),  yet  is  the  kingdom  of  God  amongst  us 
in  grace  at  present ;  God  "  bath  translated  us  into  "  it 
(Col.  i.  13);  and  it  is  like  a  "net  cast  into  the  sea 
that  gathered  of  every  kind,"  "  the  wicked  "  as  well  as 
"  the  just,"  who,  however,  "  at  the  end  of  the  world" 
shall  be  "  severed"  and  "  cast  away"  (St.  Matt.  xiii. 
47,  48,  49,  50). 

6.  GatecMst. — You  have  proved  that  the  subject 
under  consideration  is  one  of  great  importance, 
and  such  as  people,  who  profess  and  call  them- 
selves Christians,  ought  to  be  carefully  and  metho- 
dically instructed  in. — Now,  to  begin  at  the 
beginning,  can  you  tell  me  what  the  word 
"  Church  "  means? 

Answer. — The  Greek  word,  translated  "  Church  "  in 
the  New  Testament,  means  a  body  called  out.  It  was 
a  word  used  to  denote  the  political  assemblies  (or,  as 
we  might  say.  Parliaments)  of  the  ancient  Greeks,  and 
indeed  is  so  used  in  the  nineteenth  chapter  of  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles,  where  the  tumultuous  assembly  in  the 
theatre  of  Ephesus  is  twice  called  ecclesia  (Acts  xix. 
32,  41),  and  where  the  town-clerk  uses  the  same  word 
of  the  regularly  constituted  assemblies  of  the  people, 
held  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on  the  local  govern- 
ment (Acts  xix.  39). 

7.  Catechist. — You  say  that  the  word  "  Church  " 
means  a  body  called  out.  What  class  of  persons 
is  often  erroneously  confounded  with  this  hody 
called  out,  by  persons  who  are  not  apt  at  seizing 
distinctions  ? 

Answer. — The  elect  people  of  God, — "  those  whom 
He  hath  chosen  in  Christ  out  of  mankind"  "by  his 
counsel  secret  to  us"  (Art.  xvii.) 


I.]  Catcchisiu.  25 

8.  Qucsdon. — How  docs  our  Lord  distiniruish  be- 
tween "  the  chosen  out  "  (or  elect  ones),  and  those 
■who  are  merely  called  out  ? 

Answer. — lie  says,  "  Many  are  called,  but  few  are 
chosen," — a  sentence  which  occurs  twice  in  St.  Mat- 
thew's Gospel,  and  each  time  at  the  end  of  a  parable  ; 
once  at  the  end  of  the  Parable  of  the  Labourers  iu 
the  Vineyard  (xx.  16),  and  again  at  the  end  of  the 
Parable  of  the  Wedding  Garment  (xxii.  14). 

9.  Catechist. — Illustrate  from  the  latter  parable  the 
diflference  between  the  "called  "  and  the  "  chosen." 

Answer. — The  man  who  "  had  not  on  the  wedding 
garment,"  and  who  was  eventually  "  taken  away  "  and 
"  cast  into  outer  darkness,"  was  "  called  "  (or  invited). 
The  other  guests,  who  appeared  at  table  clad  in  the 
wedding  garment,  represent  the  elect  (or  "  chosen ") 
people  of  God,  who  (by  His  grace)  have  a  spirit  of  jqy 
and  praise,  in  harmony  with  the  solemnities  of  the 
Gospel  festival. 

10.  Catechist. — But  if  this  is  the  meaning  of  the  par- 
able, why  are  the  guests  who  have  the  wedding- 
garment  represented  as  many,  and  he  who  has  it 
not  as  a  single  individual?  For  you  said  that 
our  Lord  warned  us  that  the  chosen  were  few,  but 
the  called  many ;  whereas  it  would  seem  from  the 
representation  in  His  parable  as  if  the  chosen  arc 
many,  and  the  called  few. 

Answer. — This  arises  from  the  necessity  under  which 
a  person  who  teaches  by  parables  lays  himself.  Our 
Lord's  parables  are  all  drawn  from  nature  or  from 
human  life,  and  represent  things  which  do  or  might 
happen.  Now,  no  such  thing  ever  could  happen  at  an 
Eastern  wedding  as  that  the  greater  number  of  the 
guests  should  sit  down  without  wedding  garments. 
For  it  is  the  part  of  the  host  at  such  entertainments  to 
provide  wedding-garments  for  his  guests,  so  that  there 
can  be  no  excuse  for  appearing  without  one. 

11.  Catechist. — You  have  now  explained  and  illus- 
trated the  difference  between  the  called  out  lody 


2  6  Catechism.  [chap. 

(or  Church)  and  the   cJiosen  out  people  (or  the 
elect).    "  The  elect "  are  not  merely  "  the  called," 
but  the   "  called    according  to   God's    purpose " 
(Rom.  viii.  28).     What  unscriptural  and  mislead- 
ing phraseology  is  often  employed  by  those  who 
confound  the  two  things  ? 
Ansiver. — They  speak  of  "the  invisible    Church," 
whereas  the   Church  spoken  of  in   Holy  Scripture  is 
always  a  visible  body,  which  may  be  seen  and  known, 

12.  Catechist. — Mention  some  passages  of  Holy  Scrip- 
ture in  which  "  the  Church  "  must  mean  a  visible 
body. 

Answer. — St.  Matt,  xviii.  17,  "And  if  he  shall  neglect 
to  hear  them,  tell  it  unto  the  church  :  but  if  he  neglect 
to  hear  the  church,  let  him  be  unto  thee  as  an  heathen 
man  and  a  publican."  Acts  viii.  1,  3,  "At  that  time 
there  was  a  great  persecution  against  the  church  which 
was  at  Jerusalem.  ...  As  for  Saul,  he  made  havock  of 
the  church."  Acts  xiv.  27,  "  When  they  were  come, 
and  had  gathered  the  church  together,  they  rehearsed 
all  that  God  had  done  with  them."  Acts  xv.  22, 
"  Then  pleased  it  the  apostles  and  elders,  with  the 
whole  chu7xh,  to  send  chosen  men  of  their  own  com- 
pany to  Antioch."  1  Cor.  xiv.  23,  "  If  therefore  the 
whole  church  be  come  together  into  one  place,  and  all 
speak  with  tongues,  .  .  .  will  they  not  say  that  ye  are 
mad?"  1  Tim.  v.  16,  "If  any  man  or  woman  that 
believeth  have  widows,  let  them  relieve  them,  and  let 
not  the  church  be  charged."  3  John  5,  6,  "  Beloved, 
thou  doest  faithfully  whatsoever  thou  doest  to  the 
brethren,  and  to  strangers  ;  which  have  borne  witness  of 
thy  charity  before  the  church."  Only  a  visible  body 
can  have  reports  made  to  it  of  the  bad  or  good  conduct 
of  its  members ;  or  can  have  persecution  directed 
against  it ;  or  can  be  called  together  to  receive  tidings, 
or  offer  worship ;  or  can  depute  members  on  a  certain 
mission ;  or  can  be  taxed  for  charitable  purposes. 

13.  Catechist. — You  have  now  shown  that  the  Church 
is  a  visible  body  called  out  of  the  world,  and  that 


I.]  Catechism.  27 

it  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  smaller  in- 
visible body  (contained  within  it)  of  the  elect  people 
of  God.  Now,  can  you  tell  me  what  is  the  funda- 
mental Church  truth, — the  earliest  fact,  out  of 
which  all  other  truths  about  the  Church  grow  ? 
Answer. — It  is  that  our  Lord  came  not  merely  to 

teach  religious  doctrines,  but  to  found  a  Society,  and 

that  He  did  the  last  as  well  as  the  first. 

Catechist. — Yes;  if  a  man  really  believes  that  our 

Lord    founded   a   Society   as   well   as   taught   a 

religion,    he   has    learned   the    rudiment   of    all 

Church  truth,  and  the  whole  science  may  in  due 

time  grow  out  of  this  rudiment.     But  how  do  you 

prove  from  Holy  Scripture  that  our  blessed  Lord 

founded  a  Society? 

Ansxcer. — Because  He  said,  while  on  earth,  that  He 

would  do  so ;  and  He,  the  Truth,  cannot  fail  of  keeping 

His  word.    "  Hath  he  said,  and  shall  he  not  do  it?  or 

hath  he  spoken,  and  shall  he  not  make  it  good?" 

14.  Question. — What  words  of  Christ's  do  you  allude 
to? 

Ansicer. — To  those  which  are  found  in  St.  Matt. 
xvi.  18  :  "  And  I  say  also  unto  thee,  That  thou  art 
Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church." 

15.  Question. — Is  there  any  force  in  the  "  also  "  in 
these  words? 

Ansiver. — Yes;  it  refers  to  what  had  gone  before. 
St.  Peter  had  just  confessed  the  Lord  Jesus  in  these 
remarkable  words ;  "  Tliou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
the  living  God."  Our  Lord  proceeds  to  confess  St. 
Peter,  to  tell  him  what  he  is ;  "  And  /  also  say  unto 
ihee^  that  thou  art  Peter." 

16.  Question. — What  does  our  Lord's  use  of  the  future 
tense  in  this  passage  imply?  Why  docs  He  say, 
"IivillhnM"? 

Ansicer.— 'BccaviSG  the  Church  was  not  yet  built. 

17.  Catechist.— But    how  is  it  that    the    disciples  of 

Christ  were  not  a  Church,  while  their  Master  was 


28  Catechism.  [chap. 

upon  earth  ?     In  several  respects  they  looked  like 

one.     They  had  their  Master  visibly  in  the  midst 

of  them,  as  He  has  promised  to  be  in  the  midst  of 

the  two  or  three  gathered  together  in  His  Name 

(St.  Matt,  xviii.  20).     He  taught  them  the  Truth, 

and  sent  the  twelve  Apostles  and  seventy  Disciples 

to  preach  that  Truth  to  others  (St.  Luke  ix.  1,  2; 

X.  1,  9).     Nay,  we  find  that  they  admitted  people 

to  their  Society  by  baptism ;  for  we  are  told  that 

"Jesus  made   and  baptized  more  disciples  than 

John,  (though  Jesus  himself  baptized  not,  but  his 

disciples)."    St.  John  iv.  1,  2. 

Answer. — There  was  not  a  Church,  strictly  speaking, 

before  the  day  of  Pentecost,  because  before  that  time 

the  disciples  were  not  organized  into  one  body.     They 

were  like  separate  leaves  and  branches  of  a  tree  laid  in 

a  heap,  which  would  not  be  a  ti-ee ;  or  like  severed 

limbs  of  a  body  piled  upon  one  another,  which  would 

not  be  a  body.     A  number  of  people,  even  if  they 

have  the  same  hopes,  views,  and  sentiments,  do  not 

constitute  a  society  or  corporation.     A  corporation  is 

a  system,  the  different  parts  of  which  are  connected 

together  by  mutual  dependence,  and  work  together  for 

one  end. 

18.  CatecMst. — You  have  mentioned  trees,  and  the 
natural  body  of  man,  as  instances  of  an  organized 
system.  What  is  the  principle  of  unity  which 
holds  together  the  different  parts  of  a  tree,  or  the 
different  members  of  the  body  ? 

Ansiver. — It  is  called  life. 

19.  Question. — What  is  the  Church's  life,  which  holds 
all  its  members  in  unity,  and  makes  them  one  body  ? 

Ansiver. — The  Church's  life  is  the  Holy  Spirit  of 
God,  wlio  took  up  His  abode  in  her  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost,  and,  proceeding  from  Christ,  her  risen 
Head,  shed  His  gracious  influences  through  her  whole 
frame. 

20.  Catecliist. — Quote  some  passages  of  Scripture  which 

speak  of  the  Church  as  an  organized  body. 


I.]  Catechism.  29 

Ansxotr. — Rom.  xii.  4,  5,  "  As  we  have  many 
members  in  one  body,  and  all  members  have  not  the 
same  office  :  so  we,  being  many,  are  one  body  in  Christ, 
and  every  one  members  one  of  another."  And  1  Cor. 
xii.  12,  13,  "  For  as  the  body  is  one,  and  hath  many 
members,  and  all  the  members  of  that  one  body,  beini; 
many,  are  one  body :  so  also  is  Christ.  For  by  one 
Spirit  are  we  all  baptfzed  into  one  bod}^,  whether  we 
be  Jews  or  Gentiles,  whether  we  be  bond  or  free ;  and 
have  been  all  made  to  drink  into  one  Spirit."  And 
the  whole  of  the  chapter,  from  which  this  last  text  is 
taken,  is  devoted  to  the  exposition  of  this  one  subject, 
the  Church  as  an  organized  body. 

21.  CatecMst. — Quote  a  passage  of  Scripture,  to  show 

that  the  Church  is  knit  together  in  one  body  by  the 
life  which  she  derives  from  Christ,  her  risen  Head. 
Ansu-er. — Eph.  iv.  10-16,  "  He  that  descended  is 
the  same  also  that  ascended  up  far  above  all  heavens, 
that  he  might  fill  all  things.  And  he  gave  some, 
apostles ;  and  some,  prophets ;  and  some,  evangelists ; 
and  some,  pastors  and  teachers ;  for  the  perfecting  of 
the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  for  the  edifying 
of  the  body  of  Christ :  till  we  all  come,  in  the  unity 
of  the  faith  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God, 
unto  a  perfect  man,  unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of 
the  fulness  of  Christ :  that  we  henceforth  be  no  more 
children,  tossed  to  and  fro,  and  carried  about  with 
every  wind  of  doctrine,  by  the  sleight  of  men,  and 
cunning  craftiness,  whereby  they  lie  in  wait  to  deceive ; 
but  speaking  the  truth  in  love,  may  grow  up  into  him 
in  all  things,  which  is  the  head,  even  Christ:  from 
whom  the  whole  body,  fitly  joined  together  and  com- 
pacted by  that  which  every  joint  supplieth,  accord- 
ing to  the  efi"ectual  working  in  the  measure  of  every 
part,  maketh  increase  of  the  body  unto  the  edifying 
of  itself  in  love." 

22.  CatecMst. — You  have  said  that  the  Church  was 
founded  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  How  was 
St.  Peter  connected  with  its  foundation  ? 


30  Catechism.  [chap. 

Answer. — It  was  he  who  took  the  prominent  part  in 
it.  For  he  preached  the  first  Christian  sermon,  by 
which  three  thousand  souls  were  converted.  And 
afterwards  "  they  that  gladly  received  his  word  were 
baptized"  (Acts  ii.  14,  37,  41). 

23.  Catechist. — This  was  the  foundation  of  the  Church 
among  the  Jews.  Did  St.  Peter  take  any  part  in 
its  foundation  among  the  Gentiles  ? 

Ansioer. — Yes.  It  was  he  whom  Cornelius,  the 
Roman  centurion  and  a  Jewish  proselyte,  was  directed 
to  send  for,  that  he  might  "  hear  words  of  "  him.  St. 
Peter,  when  he  arrived,  spoke  the  word  of  God  to 
Cornelius  and  his  kinsmen  and  near  friends.  The 
Holy  Ghost  fell  on  the  hearers ;  and  St.  Peter,  seeing 
that  they  had  received  the  inward  spiritual  grace  of  the 
Sacrament  of  Baptism,  could  not  refuse  them  the  out- 
ward visible  sign.  So  "he  commanded  them  to  be 
baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  "  (Acts  x.  5,  6,  22, 
34, 44, 47, 48).  When  St.  Peter  rehearsed  these  circum- 
stances to  the  Jews  at  Jerusalem,  the  conclusion  they 
gathered  from  it  was  :  "  Then  hath  God  also  to  the 
Gentiles  granted  repentance  unto  life"  (Acts  xi.  18). 

24.  Question. — "What  two  predictions  of  our  Lord 
respecting  St.  Peter  were  fulfilled  by  these  inci- 
dents of  his  history  ? 

Answer. — First,  that  which  we  find  in  St.  Luke  v. 
10:  "And  Jesus  said  unto  Simon,  Fear  not;  from 
henceforth  thou  shalt  catch  men."  Secondly,  that  which 
we  find  in  St.  Matthew  xvi.  18  :  "I  say  also  unto  thee, 
That  thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build 
my  church." 

25.  Question. — "What  is  the  meaning  of  the  name 
Peter  or  Petros  ? 

Answer. — It  means  a  stone. 

26.  Question. — If  our  Lord,  then,  meant  that  He  would 
build  His  Church  upon  St.  Peter,  why  did  He  not 
say,  "  Upon  this  stone  I  will  build  my  Church?  " 

Answer. — Because  houses  are  never  built  upon  single 
stones.     They  may  however  be  built  upon  a  rock^  and 


I.]  Catechism.  3 1 

the  word  for  a  roch  in  Greek  is  the  same  word  as  that 
for  a  stone,  only  with  a  feminine  termination — Petra 
instead  of  Petros. 

27.  Question. — What  did  our  Lord  mean  by  saying 
He  would  build  His  Church  upon  St,  Peter  ? 

Answer. — It  was  merely  a  prophecy  that  St.  Peter 
should  lay  the  earliest  foundation  of  the  Church  both 
among  the  Jews  and  Gentiles,  as  we  have  seen  that  he 
did. 

28.  Question. — But  did  no  other  Apostle  lay  founda- 
tions of  the  Church  but  St.  Peter? 

Ansiver. — Certainly.  They  all  did  so  ;  inasmuch  as 
all  of  them  preached  Christ  to  nations  to  whom  He  had 
never  been  preached  before.  St.  Paul  more  especially 
laid  foundations,  and  speaks  of  himself  as  having  done 
so.  He  was  the  first  to  preach  the  gospel  at  Corinth, 
and  other  ministers  carried  on  his  work ;  in  allusion  to 
which  he  says  :  "  According  to  the  grace  of  God  which 
is  given  unto  me,  as  a  wise  master  builder  I  have  laid 
the  foundation,  and  another  buildeth  thereon  "  (1  Cor. 
iii.  10).  And  he  seems  to  recognise  the  laying  of 
foundations  as  his  special  work  in  Rom.  xv.  20  :  "  Yea, 
so  have  I  strived  to  preach  the  gospel,  not  where 
Christ  was  named,  lest  I  should  build  upon  another 
man's  foundation." 

29.  Catechist. — You  have  said  that  the  Apostles  are 
spoken  of  as  laying  foundations.  But  this  is 
rather  different  from  leing  foundations.  Are 
there  any  passages  of  Scripture,  in  which  they  are 
spoken  of  in  the  latter  point  of  view  ? 

Answer. — Yes.  Eph.  ii.  19  to  end :  "  Now  therefore 
ye  are  no  more  strangers  and  foreigners,  but  fellow- 
citizens  with  the  saints,  and  of  the  household  of  God ; 
and  are  built  upon  the  foundation  of  the  apostles  and 
prophets,  Jesus  Christ  himself  being  the  chief  corner- 
stone ;  in  whom  all  the  building  fitly  framed  together 
groweth  unto  an  holy  temple  in  the  Lord :  in  whom  ye 
also  are  builded  together  for  an  habitation  of  God 
through  the  Spirit."     And  in  the  description  of  the 


32  Catechism.       '  [chap. 

heavenly  Jerusalem  •whicli  is  given  in  Rev.  xsi.,  and 
■which  is  an  allegorical  representation  of  the  glorified 
Church,  we  read,  "  The  wall  of  the  city  had  twelve 
foundations,  and  in  them  the  names  of  the  twelve 
apostles  of  the  Lamb"  (ver.  14). 

30.  Catechist. — But  does  not  St.  Paul  say,  in  the  con- 
text of  one  of  the  passages  you  have  quoted,  that 
Christ  is  the  foundation  of  the  Church ;  "  Other 
foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,  ivliicli 
is  Jesus  Christ "  (1  Cor.  iii.  11)  ?  How  then 
can  St.  Peter  or  any  of  the  Apostles,  or  all  of 
them  together,  be  called  "  foundations "  of  the 
Church? 

Answer. — The  Apostles  are  foundations  in  a  different 
point  of  view,  and  in  a  different  sense,  from  our  Lord 
Himself.  He  is  the  soul's  only  rock  of  trust  and  confi- 
dence, and  in  this  sense  the  only  foundation,  beside 
which  no  man  can  lay  another.  His  Apostles  are 
foundations  of  the  Church,  because  the  Church  took  its 
rise  from  their  ministry.  And  when  they  are  spoken 
of  as  a  foundation,  their  Master  is  represented  as  the 
"  chief  corner-stone,"  which  locks  the  building  together 
(as  a  keystone  does  an  arch),  and  in  which  all  the  lines 
of  it  meet  (Eph.  ii,  20). 

31.  Question. — But  suppose  we  do  not  accept  the  in- 
terpretation you  have  given  of  St.  Matt.  xvi.  18, 
and  prefer  (with  many  learned  commentators)  to 
consider  our  Lord  Himself,  or  the  confession  of 
faith,  which  St.  Peter  had  just  made,  as  the  "  rock" 
of  which  Christ  spoke, — does  what  you  have  said 
about  the  Church  fall  to  the  ground  in  conse- 
quence ? 

Answer. — By  no  means.  It  is  certain  from  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles  that  Clirist  did  found  a  Divine  Society 
in  the  earth,  and  that  St.  Peter  was  the  first  to  call 
into  this  Society  Jews  and  Gentiles. 

32.  Catechist. — You  have  shown  that  our  Lord  founded 
a  Society,  as  well   as   taught  a  religion.     What 


I.]  Catechism.  33 

objection  might  seem  to  lie  against  this  method 

of  proceeding? 
Answer. — Tlie  objection  that  truth  may  be  taught 
purely  and  without  alloy,  and,  -when  committed  to 
writing,  handed  down  in  its  purity.  This  is  the  case 
with  the  volume  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  which  contains 
pure  truth,  without  the  smallest  admixture  of  error. 
But  a  society,  being  made  up  of  men,  is  always  liable 
to  be  corrupted  and  perverted  from  its  original  design. 
And  this  has  happened  to  the  Church,  which  has 
often  been  grievously  corrupted,  and  into  which  error 
found  its  way,  even  when  inspired  Apostles  were  watch- 
ing over  it.  Witness  St.  Paul's  Epistles  to  the  Corin- 
thians, Galatians,  Thessalonians,  and  the  letters  in  the 
llevclation,  which  St.  John  is  commissioned  to  write 
to  the  Seven  Churches  of  Asia. 

33.  Question. — If  then  a  Church  is  liable  to  be  cor- 
rupted, what  good  reason  may  we  suppose  moved 
our  Lord  to  found  one  ? 

Answe}'. — Because  He  had  made  man  for  society 
originally  ;  and  it  was  His  gracious  intention  to  sanctify 
and  save  the  nature  which  had  fallen,  not  to  create  a 
new  nature. 

34.  Question. — How  can  you  show  from  Scripture 
that  man  is  made  for  society  ? 

Aiisiver. — Because  God  said  in  the  beginning  :  "  It 
is  not  good  that  the  man  should  be  alone ;  I  will  make 
him  an  help  meet  for  him"  (Gen.  ii.  18). 

35.  Catechist. — That  was  said  in  allusion  to  marriage. 
But  how  does  it  bear  upon  the  question  of  man 
being  made  for  society  ? 

Answer. — Because  marriage  is  the  earliest  society, 
and  the  foundation  of  every  other.  Families  spring 
from  marriage  ;  and  a  group  of  many  families  forms  a 
state  or  nation. 

36.  Question. — Is  there  any  evidence  in  our  nature 
itself  that  man  was  made  for  society  ? 

Answer. — God  has  endowed  us  with  several  passions 
or  affections,  which  have  no  meaning  except  in  refer- 
C 


34  Catechism.  [chap. 

ence  to  our  fellow-creatures.  His  having  implanted  in 
us,  for  example,  benevolence  and  compassion,  is  a 
clear  proof  that  we  were  destined  to  live  in  the  midst 
of  objects  which  would  draw  out  these  feelings. 

37.  Catecliist. — Man,  then,  having  been  made  for 
society  originally,  this  constitution  of  his  nature 
was  to  be  recognised  in  Grace  ;  and  accordingly  a 
Society  was  founded  by  Christ,  in  which  men  were 
to  be  one  body,  and  into  which  all  nations  were 
to  be  called.  And  this  Society  is  the  Church,  or 
Kingdom  of  Christ  upon  earth. — What  question 
is  it  every  man's  duty  to  ask  himself  in  reference 
to  this  Society  ? 

Ansxoer. — Whether  he  belongs  to  it. 

38.  Question. — But  if  a  man  prizes  the  holy  truths 
which  Christ  taught,  and  strives  to  guide  himself 
by  them,  and  to  live  under  their  influence,  is  not 
that  enough,  without  his  troubling  himself  with 
anything  further  ? 

Answer. — No ;  because  Christ  did  not  only  teach  a 
Religion,  but  founded  a  Society  ;  and  we  have  a  duty 
towards  the  Society  which  He  founded,  as  well  as 
towards  the  Religion  which  He  taught. 

39.  Question. — What  is  the  great  difference  between 
the  duty  we  owe  to  the  Religion,  and  that  which 
we  owe  to  the  Society  ? 

Answer. — That  the  first  may  be  done  by  the  action 
of  our  own  minds,  without  anything  between  us  and 
God.  But  we  cannot  admit  ourselves  into  a  Society. 
We  must  be  admitted  into  it,  according  to  its  own  rules, 
and  by  its  own  officers.  Nothing  we  can  do  ourselves 
will  make  us  members  of  it. 

40.  Question, — Can  you  illustrate  this  by  a  reference 
to  our  Church  Societies  ? 

Answer. — Yes.  A  man  does  not  become  a  member 
of  the  Society  for  Propagating  the  Gospel,  because 
he  takes  a  great  interest  in  spreading  the  Gospel 
in  our  colonies,  and  in  mission  work  generally.  He 
must  comply  with  the  rule  about  membership,  whatever 


I.]  Catechism.  35 

that  rule  may  be,  before  he  can  become  a  member. 
Christ's  rule  about  membership  in  His  Church  is,  tliat 
it  shall  be  given  by  Holy  Baptism  ;  and  unless  a  man 
is  baptized  (which  he  cannot  be  without  some  one  to 
baptize  him),  no  amount  of  Christian  feeling  or  Christian 
conduct  will  make  him  a  member  of  Christ's  Church. 

41.  Question. — But,  as  you  were  baptized  when  an 
infant,  what  doubt  can  there  be  that  you  are  a 
member  of  Christ's  Church  ? 

Ansu-er. — There  still  remains  the  question,  by  what 
community  of  Christians  I  was  baptized.  For  there 
are  many  such  communities,  which  do  not  profess  to 
trace  up  Iheir  descent  historically  to  the  Apostles  of 
Christ,  to  whom  He  gave  the  commission  to  baptize 
and  preach  the  Gospel.  These  communities  were 
mostly  founded  in  the  sixteenth  century,  or  have  been 
founded  since,  by  good  men  who  thought  they  saw 
errors  in  the  old  Church,  or  could  not  get  Holy  Orders 
in  it,  and  therefore  took  upon  themselves  to  preach  the 
Gospel,  and  administer  the  Sacraments,  without  any 
regular  commission.  Their  Sacraments  may  outwardly 
be  like  the  Sacraments  of  the  Church ;  but  they  must 
be  wanting  in  authority. 

42.  Question. — How  do  you  prove  that  in  this  country 
the  Church  of  England  is  the  only  Church,  which 
holds  Christ's  commission  to  preach,  and  administer 
the  Sacraments? 

Answer. — Because  it  can  trace  up  the  descent  of  its 
ministers  to  Augustine,  who  was  sent  over  to  this  island 
to  convert  the  Saxons  by  Pope  Gregory ;  and  the 
descent  of  Pope  Gregory  may  be  traced  up  in  the  same 
way  to  the  times  of  the  Apostles. 

43.  Question. — But  did  not  the   Church  of  England 

become  frightfully  corrupt  before  the  time  of  the 

Reformation  ? 

Answer. — Doubtless  it  did.     And  because  it  was  at 

that  time  so  corrupt,  that  it  could  hardly   have  been 

recognised  as  the  Church  which   Christ  planted,  God 

raised  up  our  Reformers  to  prune  away  its  abuses  and 


36  CatccJdsm.  [chap. 

superstitions,  and  to  let  in  once  more  the  light  of  the 
Gospel  of  Christ,  which  had  been  greatly  obscured. 
But  they  did  not  presume  to  make  a  new  foundation ; 
nor  indeed  was  there  any  call  for  them  to  do  so.  The 
Bishops  and  Clergy,  with  very  few  exceptions,  came 
round  to  the  Reformation ;  and  thus  the  old  Society  of 
the  Church  of  Christ  was  preserved,  while  it  was  puri- 
fied. 

44.  Question. — Can  you  illustrate  this  by  a  compari- 
son? 

Answer. — Yes.  An  old  Gothic  tower,  founded  cen- 
turies ago,  might  in  lapse  of  time  be  so  overgrown  with 
ivy,  and  choked  with  rubbish,  as  to  have  all  its  original 
features  concealed.  If  the  ivy  were  pruned  away,  and 
the  rubbish  removed,  it  would  not  be  a  newly  founded 
tower,  but  the  old  one  restored.  But  if  the  proprietor 
should  build  a  new  one  on  some  other  part  of  his  estate, 
digging  new  foundations  and  raising  new  walls,  this 
would  be  another  tower,  however  closely  it  might  re- 
semble the  old  one  in  its  outward  features. 

45.  Question. — Is  the  descent  from  Christ  and  His 
Apostles,  and  the  inheritance  from  them  of  the 
commission  to  preach  the  Gospel  and  administer 
the  Sacraments,  all  that  is  necessary  to  make  a 
Christian  Community  to  be  a  Church  ? 

Answer. — Yes  ;  it  will  be  a  Church,  if  it  have  received 
this  commission,  though  by  no  means  necessarily  a  pure 
or  a  Scriptural  Church. 

46.  Question. — Then  why  have  the  priests  of  the 
Church  of  Home,  who  hold  this  commission  as 
well  as  our  own  ministers,  no  lawful  authority  to 
preach  the  Gospel  or  administer  the  Sacraments  in 
this  country  ? 

Anstver. — Because  it  is  a  principle  of  Church  order 
that  there  cannot  be  in  any  diocese  two  Bishops.  Our 
own  Bishops  have  been  in  possession,  since  the  Church 
was  first  planted  in  this  country,  and  are  in  possession 
now.  The  Pope's  Bishops  are  a  new  colony  sent  into 
this  country,  to  invade  the  rights  and  usm-p  the  office  of 


I.]  Catcchis7n.  37 

the  old  Bishops,  because  they  arc  not  willing  to  acknow- 
ledge his  supremacy, — a  doctrine  which  cannot  be  proved 
either  by  Scripture,  reason,  or  primitive  antiquity. 

47.   Qtiestion. — But  is  not  the  recognition  and  acknow- 
ledgment of  the  State  necessary  to  the  existence  of 
the  Church? 
Ansiver. — It  is  the  duty  of  civil  rulers  to  recognise 
and  support  the  true  Church,  and  to  make  themselves 
"  nursing  fathers  "  to  her.     And  no  doubt  nations  from 
this  acknowledgment  of  God  reap  many  great  blessings. 
But  even  if  this  recognition  were  withheld,  the  Church 
would  lose  nothing  of  her  authority,  though  she  would 
be  deprived  of  many  advantages  for  doing  her  work. 
Her  commission  is  derived  from  Christ,  and  not  from 
the  powers  of  this  world ;  and  none  but  He  who  gave  it 
can  take  it  away. 


CHAPTER  II. 

DUTY  OF  THE  CHURCH  TOWARDS  THOSE  WHO 
HOLD  TO  THE  APOSTLES'  DOCTRINE,  IN 
SEPARATION  FROM  THE  APOSTLES'  FEL- 
LOWSHIP. 

•'  Jlttb  Jxrhn  ansircreb  him,  snvins,  ^pastn:,  itJc  sato  one 
fasting  out  icbils  in  thg  name,  anb  he  foUoioeth  nat 
Its :  ani  tue  forbai  him,  because  he  follotocth  not  »s. 
^ut  Jesns  saib,  ^Jfotbib  him  not :  for  there  is  no  man 
tohich  shall  ho  a  miracle  in  mg  name,  that  ean  lightls 
speak  ebil  of  me.  ^^or  he  tliat  is  not  aisainst  ns  is  on 
our  part."— St.  Mark  ix.  38,  39,  40. 

•"(Ehes  continneb  stebfastlg  in  the  apostles' boctrine  anb 
feilotoship."— Acts  n.  42. 

mt  iaimte  nnHE  world  of  Nature  seems  to  be  governed  by  a 
of  Nature.  -^  System  01  forces,  ■wnicli  counterbalance  and 
bold  one  another  in  check.  The  planet  is  kept  in 
its  orderly  course,  partly  by  the  original  impulse 
which  launched  it  into  space,  partly  by  the  power 
of  gravitation,  which  draws  it  towards  the  sun. 
Without  the  former  of  these  impulses,  it  would 
simply  fall  into  the  sun  and  be  dashed  to  pieces 
or  consumed ;  without  the  latter  of  them,  it  would 
travel  on  for  ever  in  the  line  in  which  it  was 
originally  projected.  Another  familiar  instance  of 
the  same  law  in  the  animal  world  is,  that  certain 
tribes  are  a  restraint  upon  one  another.     Kill  all 


CH.  II.]         Duty  of  the  ChurcJi.  39 

the  small  birds,  because  they  are  mischievous  to 
the  fruits,  and  you  will  soon  liud  yourself  plagued 
with  a  swarm  of  insects,  still  more  mischievous  to 
the  roots.  Nature  exhibits  in  all  her  departments 
a  balance  of  forces. 

Xow  the  God  of  Nature  is  the  God  of  Grace  KcKqious 

trutr)3  arc 

also ;  and  we  should  therefore  expect  to  find  in  moral  faras. 
God's  Word  the  same  principles  which  regulate 
His  hand  in  His  works.  The  forces  of  God's 
Word  are  truths.  What  are  the  great  truths  of 
lieligion  but  moral  forces — forces  operative  upon 
the  conscience,  the  heart,  the  will  ?  And  these  ^\t  6aian« 
truths  are  not  unfrequently  forces  acting  in  oppo-  lain  of  cratt. 
site,  or  apparently  opposite,  directions,  and  hold- 
ing one  another  in  check.  God's  election  of 
certain  persons  to  eternal  life  is  a  great  truth. 
So  is  man's  entire  and  exclusive  responsibility  for 
a  failure  in  winning  eternal  life.  The  necessity 
of  God's  grace  to  our  salvation  is  a  great  truth. 
So,  on  the  other  hand,  is  the  perfect  freedom  of 
the  human  will.  It  is  easy  to  seize  upon  one 
of  these  principles,  and  make  it  the  keystone  of 
our  whole  religious  system,  without  taking  much 
account  of  the  other.  But  the  really  sound  and 
Scriptural  divine  will  attempt  to  lose  sight  of 
neither,  and  to  give  its  due  weight  to  each.  He 
will  try  to  reconcile  the  two  truths, — in  theory,  if 
they  admit  of  such  a  reconciliation, — in  practice,  at 
all  events,  if  their  theoretical  reconciliation  should 
be  a  problem  beyond  the  powers  of  the  human 
mind.  Professor  Archer  Butler,  in  a  sermon  from 
which  I  shall  presently  make  a  further  extract, 
says  as  follows  :  "  The  most  important  steps  in 


40  Duty  of  the  CJmr'ch  [chaf. 

every  part  of  moral  science  consist  in  the  adjust- 
ment of  rival  truths;  it  being  always  far  more 
easy  to  see  the  force  of  a  great  principle  than  to 
see  its  limits." 

Now,  I  am  about  to  apply  these  remarks  to  the 
great  and  somewhat  difficult  subject  opened  in 
Botf)  «)e,  our  first  Chapter — the  subject  of  the  Church.  It 
toctrine  anu  is  Said  of  the  early  Christians  in  the  Acts  of  the 
2?)ip  to  be  Apostles,  that  "  they  continued  stedfastly  in  the 
apostles'  doctrine," — here  is  Christian  Truth,  one  of 
the  great  forces  in  the  spiritual  system, — and  in 
the  apostles'  "fellowship  " — here  is  the  Christian 
Church,  another  great  force.  To  this  latter  sub- 
ject we  devoted  our  attention  exclusively  in  the 
last  Chapter.  We  showed  that  the  Church  was  a 
society  planned  by  our  Blessed  Lord,  and  built  by 
jSTo  nefa  ^'lie  ministry  of  St.  Peter  and  the  other  Apostles, 
and  that,  though  the  old  building  may  be  cleared 
of  corruptions  which  have  gathered  over  it  in 
atiijcrcti  to.  course  of  time  (which  in  fact  was  done  at  the 
Eeformation),  no  other  building  can  be  reared, 
which  shall  not  be  a  new  foundation,  wanting  the 
Divine  authority  and  sanction  of  the  old,  and 
quite  distinct  from  "the  Apostles'  fellowship," 
or,  in  other  words,  from  the  Church  which  Christ 
by  the  ministry  of  His  Apostles  founded.  It  was 
then  stated  that  all  dissenting  communities  in  this 
country  were  in  fact  such  new  foundations  (not  one 
of  them  dating  four  hundred  years  back),  having 
many  of  them  striking  features  of  outward  resem- 
blance to  the  Christian  Church — the  same  Sacra- 
ments (to  the  eye),  the  same  form  (or  very  much 
the  same)  of  administering  Holy  Orders,  and  much 


'  Mlotoaljip ' 
io  be  crcatcU, 
but  tbc  olO 
one  to  be 


II.]        tozuards  or tJiodox  Separatists.        41 

the  same  doctrine  and  teaching, — but  that  all  this 
superficial  resemblance  did  not,  and  could  not, 
really  connect  them  with  the  Church  of  the 
Apostles,  any  more  than  if  a  private  individual 
should  set  up  a  mint  against  the  Queen's  mint, 
and  coin  and  distribute  gold  pieces  stamped  with 
the  Queen's  effigy,  those  sovereigns  would  be  the 
real  currency  of  the  realm,  authorized  by  the 
Government. 

That  was  one  side  of  the  question,  and  I  trust 
I  stated  it  bravely  and  fairly,  and  that,  in  what 
follows  of  the  same  argument,  I  shall  not  shrink 
from  any  consequences  of  the  position  which  I 
have  taken  up.     But  the  question  has  another 
side ;  and  the  due  consideration  of  that  other  side 
is  all  the  more  binding  upon  us,  because  it  will 
lead  us,  while  holding  fast  our  own  principles,  to 
hold  them  in  love.     At  the  earliest  commence-  in  «)e 
ment  of  Christianity,  the  Apostles'  doctrine  and  Irtrrs^tmnitn  ^ 
fellowship  were  co -extensive.     God's  Truth  was  anH'MoS- 
in  the  Church,  and    the  Church  stood   fast  in  ciUnsSe. 
God's  Truth.     But  this  happy  state  of  things  was 
not  to  last  long.    Very  speedily  errors  and  corrup- 
tions began  to  show  their  head,  and  run  their 
mischievous  course.     Many  of  them  were  con- 
demned by   Church   Councils;    but  there  were 
others   which   Councils   could  not,  or  did   not, 
reach ;  and  little  by  little,  one  innovation  after 
another    being  introduced,    one   deviation    after  i^ofa  «)c  <fao 
another  from  primitive  faith  and  practice  being  sc^arauo.^ 
first  excused,  then  allowed,  then  adopted,  and  the 
Bishop  of  Eome  pushing  in  by  degrees  his  mon- 
strous usurpations  over  the  conscience,  and  his 


42  Duty  of  the  Church  [chap. 

claim  to  overrule  the  authority  of  kings,  the  Church 
became  quite  altered  from  the  primitive  model, 
and  retained  but  few  features  of  resemblance  to 
(though  it  was  historically  the  same  body,  having 
come  down  in  lineal  succession  from)  the  Church 
which   Christ   founded   by  the  ministry  of  the 
iPcrptocitjj      Apostles.     Then  what  was  to  be  done,  when  the 
ftomtifs ^    Apostles'  doctrine  was  no  longer  held  in  its  purity 
separation,     -j^^  ^^^  Apostles'  fellowship  ?      God's  Truth  was 
just  as  precious  as  God's  Church ;  was  certainly 
more  reliable,  because  the  Truth  cannot  be  cor- 
rupted,   but    the    Church    may.      In    England, 
through  God's  great  mercy,  the  case  presented 
!§ofa  ttjia      but  little  difficulty.     The  great  majority  of  the  ex- 
toassoil^cu  in  isting  Bishops  and  Clergy  came  round  to  the  prin- 
"^  ^"^*      ciples  of  the  Eeformation ;  so  that  there  was  no 
difficulty   for  us   in   maintaining  the   Apostles' 
doctrine  without  departing  from  the  Apostles'  fel- 
lowship.    In  other  countries  people  were  not  so 
<©rt)er,         highly  favoured.     The  Bishops,  who  alone  could 
"aTig^iB  °    confer  Holy  Orders,and  thus  continue  the  Apostles' 
anu°""  '      fellowship,  were  too  often  found  to  be  inveterate 
maintainers  of  the  old   abuses,  and  showed  no 
sympathy  whatever  with  that  awakening  of  mind 
on  religious   subjects,  which  had  been  brought 
about  by  the  freer  circulation  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
s»!!Bt?)ab<oii:  tures. — Again,  I  ask  what  was  to  be  done,  where 
Munteka."'^^    it  happened  to  be  so  ?     What  was  done  in  some 
places — often  reluctantly,  sometimes  (no  doubt) 
where  violence   characterized  the   leaders,  with 
heat,  and  coarse,  foul  language — done  surely  not 
without  such  excuse  as  we  may  well  hope  palli- 
ated the  act  in  tlie  eyes  of  the  Divine  Founder, — 


II.]         tozuards  ortJiodox  Separatists.        43 

was  to  cling  to  the  Apostles'  doctrine,  and  let  go 
the  Apostles'  fellowshiiJ — to  maintain  Christian 
Truth,  but  not  in  connexion  with  the  old  founda- 
tion.    And  thus  came  in  the  first  idea  of  what  is  ri,f  tariicst 
called  a  Christian  denomination, — that  is  to  say,  cimstian  uc 
a  comnmnity  teaching  the  leading  truths  of  the  "^""'"^  '""■ 
Gospel,  and  professing  to  administer  the  Holy 
Sacraments,  yet  without  deriving  any  authority 
to  do  so  from  the  Church  which  Christ  built  by 
the  ministry  of  the  Apostles.     At  first  the  doing 
this  was  thought,  even  by  those  who  acknowledged 
the  necessity  of  doing  it,  somewhat  of  an  auda- 
cious and  perilous  step,  to  be  taken  only  under 
severe  pressure  of  circumstances.      But  the  ex- 
ample once  set  became,  as  such  examples  are  apt 
to  do,  contagious.     The  independence  gained  by  jjapft  pro- 
secession  from  the  Church  made  secession  popular,  '^^f^^^  ° 
especially  in  England,  where  the  national  mind  is 
always  impatient  of  control.     And  thus  it  comes 
to  pass  that  Christians  in  this  empire  are  broken 
up  into  I  know  not  how  many  sects,  and  present 
a  most  melancholy  contrast  to  the  Founder's  ideal, 
which  was  that  there  should  be  but  one  body, 
even  as  there  is  but  one  Spirit ;  "  Neither  pray  I 
for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also  which  shall 
believe  on  me  through  their  word ;  that  they  all 
may  he  one ;  as  thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  E\\t 
thee,  that  they  also  may  he  one  in  us :  that  the  istai  com- 
world    may  believe   that    thou    hast   sent   me "  mamij. 
(St.  John  xvii.  20,  21). 

I  have  said  enough  to  show  that,  whatever  may 
be  alleged  in  favour  of  certain  separatists  at  the 
Pieformation,  nothing  can  justify  a  refusal  in  this 


44  DiUy  of  the  Church  [chap. 

country  to  join  the  Church  of  England,  pure  as 

she  is  in  doctrine,  no  less  than  apostolic  in  dis- 

Spirihtai  life  cipline.     And  yet  it  must  be  admitted,  because  it 

spiritual       Is  a  simple  fact,  which  it  would  be  closing  our 

toori?,  oittaice  eyes  to  the  light  to  refuse  to  see,  that  in  other 

fciioiuBijip.     Christian  communities  many  brilliant  examples 

of  godliness  are  to  be  found,  and  that  souls  are 

really  won  to  Christ  by  ministers  who  do  not 

stand  upon  the  old  foundation,  and  do  not  derive 

from  the  Church,  on  which  the  Spirit  came  down 

at  Pentecost,  their  authority  to  minister  the  Word 

and  Sacraments. 

How  are  we  to  feel  towards,  and  deal  with,  such 

phenomena,  without,  on  the  one  hand,  disguising 

the  plainest  facts  of  experience,  and,  on  the  other, 

without  for  a  moment  justifying  (or  even  excusing) 

secession  from  a  branch  of  the  Church  which  is 

f?ototeare   doctrinally  pure?      Holy  Scripture,  which  was 

n'nti''icai'toitij  written  in  the  foresight,  on  the  part  of  the  Spirit, 

Biij^pbeno-    ^^  ^j^g  Church's  future  history,  has  provided  for 

this  as  for  all  other  emergencies,  and  gives  an 

answer  which  probably  will  not  satisfy  the  violence 

of  prejudice  on  either  side,  but  will  none  the  less 

approve  itself  to  the  calm  wisdom  of  the  man  of 

God.     Let  us  inquire  reverently  and  prayerfully 

what  that  answer  may  be. 

jiftcman  I.  While   our  Lord  Jesus   Christ  was    upon 

i'cbasin""    earth,  one  man  at  least  (perhaps  several)  was 

Namt.iut     found,  who,   without  any  recognised  connexion 

fouofa  faitfj    with  Him,  went  about  casting  out  devils  in  His 

tbeapostug.  2«;rg^j^g^ — ^^^  merely  endeavouring  to  confer  that 

benefit  on  suffering  humanity,  but  actually  doing 

it.  "  Master,*  we  saw  one"  {somebody — with  a  touch 


II.]         toivards  orthodox  Separatists.        45 

of  disdain,  which  the  Master  in  His  answer  does  not 
fail  to  correct  by  expressing  His  esteem  for  the 
man),  "  casting  out  devils  in  thy  name,  and  he  fol- 
loweth  not  us"  (St.  Mark  ix.  38).  A  singular  phe- 
nomenon indeed  !  For  no  doubt  this  man  was  a  pfiofjcmuBt 
real  believer  in  Christ,  No  virtue  would  have  fol-  Bincm  bt- 
lowed  upon  his  exorcisms,  had  he  merely,  parrot- 
like, taken  up  into  his  lips  a  name,  to  the  power 
of  which  his  own  heart  was  a  stranger.  We 
know  from  another  part  of  Scripture  that  the 
issue  of  such  a  procedure  would  have  been  utter 
discomfiture  and  dismay.  For  when  the  "  seven 
sons  of  one  Sceva,  a  Jew,  and  cliief  of  the  priests" 
at  Ephesus,  "  took  upon  them  to  call  over  them 
which  had  evil  spirits  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
saying.  We  adjure  you  by  Jesus,  whom  Paul 
preacheth,"  "  the  evil  spirit  answered  and  said, 
Jesus  I  know,  and  Paul  I  know ;  but  who  are 
ye  ?  And  the  man  in  Avhom  the  evil  spirit  was 
leaped  on  them,  and  overcame  them,  and  pre- 
vailed against  them,  so  that  they  fled  out  of  that 
house  naked  and  wounded"  (Acts  xix.  13-16). 
Very  different  must  have  been  the  spirit  of  this 
man  from  that  of  the  sons  of  Sceva.  Doubtless  he 
recognised  Jesus  as  the  jNIessiah,  who  shoidd  come 
into  the  world,  and  as  the  hope  and  consolation 
of  Israel.  It  does  not  appear,  however,  that 
Christ  had  called  him.  Nor  does  it  appear  that 
he  troubled  himself  to  get  called.  Perhaps  his 
want  of  humility,  wliich  called  itself  (as  want  of 
humility  often  does)  independence  of  mind,  made  luis  probabu 
him  unwilling  to  go  to  the  disciples  in  the  regidar  'Jl  gpiti  J"" 
way,  and  seek  from  them  baptism  in  the  name  of 


46  Duty  of  the  CImrch  [chap. 

Jesus.  As  for  himself,  he  may  have  thought,  he 
would  not  adjure  the  spirits  by  Jesus,  whom 
Peter  and  John  preached,  and  into  whose  Name 
they  baptized ; — he  had  much  better  ground  to 
go  upon  in  his  own  convictions  ; — he  felt  sure  that 
God  had  sent  the  great  message  of  salvation  into 
the  world,  and  he  believed  that  this  message  was 
free  as  the  wind  which  careers  over  the  open 
down,  and  he  would  go  forth  with  the  message 
upon  the  wings  of  the  wind, — a  self-elected  mis- 
sionary. 

ISTow  I  suppose  that  few  people  will  have  the 
hardihood  to  say  that  he  was  no  loser  by  this 
Sofamuc^     course  of  proceeding.     No  one  surely  will  pre- 
foiiBtoins  in"  sume  to  asscrt  that,  although  not  following  with  the 
%  ^orV^    Apostles  in  the  train  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  he  en- 
^^^'^'         jc^yed  the  privileges  and  advantages  which  they 
enjoyed.     As  regards  religious  belief,  he  doubtless 
had  the  root  of  the  matter  in  him;  but  he  hung 
not  upon  those  lips,  so  full  of  grace ;  he  heard  not 
those  prayers,  so  simple  and  yet  so  unfathomably 
profound,  in  which  the  Son  of  Man  poured  out 
his  soul  before  his  Father ;  he  did  not  enjoy  the 
opportunities  of  having  his  sentiments  momen- 
tarily inspected  and  corrected  by  the  Divine  Wis- 
dom Incarnate. 
pjigf)  That,  you  will  say,   is   true;   but  when   the 

assocmtion  Lord's  bodily  Presence  was  withdrawn,  how  was 
gpostr/s,  he  the  worse  for  not  following  with  the  Apostles  ? 
Christ  tati  Surely  much  the  worse  in  every  way.  The  words, 
irftttem.  ^^  sentiments,  the  precepts,  the  institutions  of 
their  Master  lived  in  them.  They  represented 
Him  by  His  own  appointment, — a  position  surely 


II.]         toivards  ortJiodox  Separatists.        47 

not  to  be  despised.  Upon  them,  as  they  were 
sitting  in  the  one  house,  fell  the  Holy  Spirit  at 
Pentecost.  And  the  new  band  of  believers  bap- 
tized on  that  day,  felt  that  not  only  was  the 
message  of  the  Apostles  to  be  received,  but  that 
their  Society,  no  less  than  their  message,  had  the 
Divine  sanction.  For  "they  continued  sted- 
fastly,"  not  "  in  the  apostles'  doctrine  "  only,  but 
"  in  their  fellowship "  also. 

Now  we  believe  that  Apostolic  Fellowship  or  CTe  npostoiu 

&llotosl)ip  IS 

Society  to  be  still  in  the  world.  We  believe  that  stai  in  t^e 
there  is  a  Church,  legally  inheriting  all  the  insti- 
tutions and  privileges  of,  and  dating  up  histori- 
cally to,  the  company  assembled  in  the  one  house, 
when  the  Holy  Spirit  made  His  august  descent  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost.  We  maintain  not  only  the 
present  ever  fresh  vitality  of  Christian  doctrine, 
but  the  existence  of  an  institution  framed  to  give 
that  doctrine  a  local  habitation  and  a  name,  and 
being  the  very  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth; 
an  institution  now  hoary  with  the  antiquity  of 
eighteen  centuries,  resting  ultimately  upon  the 
foundation  of  the  apostles  and  prophets.  It  is 
true,  indeed,  that  this  noble  column  became  over- 
grown in  the  course  of  time  with  parasitical 
weeds,  and  covered  with  the  ivy  of  manifold 
superstitions  and  abuses,  which,  as  ivy  does  to 
every  structure,  threatened  the  very  existence  of 
the  building  over  which  they  had  crept.  But  to 
us  in  this  favoured  country  that  matters  little. 
We  have  had  our  Eeformation,  which  without 
removing,  or  even  disturbing  the  foundation  of, 
the  colunm,  entirely  cleared  it  of  all  the  rank 


48  Duty  of  the  CJmrch  [chap. 

vegetation  which,  concealed  its  fair  and  majestic 
iLoss  Btiffrrrti  proportions.     And  in  conformity  with  these  prin- 

pu  separation,  ^     ^  j  r 

fiotocfacr  con-  ciplcs,  we  believe  that  there  is  no  separatist  in 
Bcicntioug. 

the  world  who  does  not  suffer  loss  by  separation. 

We  believe  separation  to  be  a  very  hardy  act, 
which  must  have  very  clear  grounds  in  con- 
science, before  it  can  even  justify  itself  to  the 
good  sense  and  candour  of  those  who  resort  to  it. 
Suppose  we  had  lived  in  the  island  of  Crete,  at 
the  time  when  a  bishop  presided  over  the  Church 
there,  whom  Titus  had  consecrated  by  laying  on 
of  hands.  Would  not  any  candid  person  regard 
that  ordination  as  a  very  important  sanction  of 
the  bishop  so  ordained,  and  feel  that  he  must 
have  perfectly  overwhelming  grounds,  before  he 
could  reject  the  authority  and  separate  from  the 
communion  of  that  bishop  ?  Yet  the  only  differ- 
ence between  such  a  separation,  and  that  of 
modern  dissenters,  is  made  by  the  many  more 
links  of  the  chain  which  are  interposed  between 
the  Apostles  and  ourselves.  Timothy,  though  ap- 
pointed by  St.  Paul,  was  no  more  inspired  than 
is  a  modern  bishop.  And  that  the  charter  and 
privilege  of  the  visible  Church  is  not  injured 
by  transmission,  even  to  the  latest  age,  may 
be  gathered  with  certainty  from  our  Lord's  part- 
ing charge  :  "  Go  ye,  .  .  .  and  teach  all  nations, 
baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and 
of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost :  teaching 
them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have 
commanded  you :  and,  lo,  /  am  with  you  alioay, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.  Amen."  The 
late  King  of  Prussia  is  said  to  have  observed  that 


II.]        toz^'ards  orthodox  Separatists.        49 

ia  Itomc  you  see  a  Cliurcli  without  Christianity  ;  cFnoianii  f)as 
iu  the  sects  Christianity  without  a  Church ;  but  Sm^'^c^ris- 
that  in  EugUxnd  an  attempt  was  made  to  main-  ti™c|inV 
tain  both — Christianity  and  the  Church  together. 
We   are  thankful  for  such  a  testimony  from  a 
foreign  sovereign.      Why  are  we  to   slight  the 
Apostles'  fellowship,  because  we  are  resolved  to 
maintain,  as  dearer  than  life,  their  doctrine  ? 

II.  But  our  narrative  teaches  us,  not  only  (by  sitmbersai 
implication)  the  privilege  of  fellowship  with  the  sgrnpatbD  to 
visible  body  which  our  Lord  founded,  but  also  aions  toitb 
(directly)  the  duty  of  cidtivating,  along  with  our  cipuL  """ 
Church  principles,  a  spirit  of  universal  Christian 
sympathy.      "  But  Jesus  said,  Forbid  him  not : 
for  there  is  no  man  which  shall  do  a  miracle  in 
my  name,  that  can  lightly  speak  evil  of  me." 

There  is  many  a  man  in  modern  times,  who,  spiritual 
like  the  man  before  us,  unable  to  see  and  recog-  mang  a° 
nise  the  blessing  of  fellowship  with  the  Church  of  ^^''"^ 
Christ,  has  yet  felt  deeply  in  his  own  soul  the 
saving  power  of  the  Name  of  Jesus.     He  has  felt 
that,  just  as  in  the  sun  is  wrapped  up  aU  the 
physical  virtue  which  pervades  the  realm  of  the  iSia  ctpcrifncc 
universe  (for  the  rain,  which  is  a  great  principle  of  tbc  ?f amc 
of  fertility,  comes  from  exhalations  which  the  sun  ° 
draws  up),  so  in  the  Name  of  Jesus  Christ,  that 
is,  in  His  revealed  character  and  attributes,  aU 
spiritual  virtue  resides, — a  balm  to  heal  every 
heartache,  a  consolation  to  soothe  every  trouble, 
and  a  sweet  relief  under  the  galling  consciousness 
of  guilt.     The  discovery  of  the  hidden  virtue  of 
this  precious  Name  fills  him  with  joy  and  peace, 
and  with  that  gush  of  spiritual  emotions,  which 


50  Duty  of  the  C/mi^ck  [chap. 

God  mercifully  grants,  by  way  of  lifting  His  chil- 
dren over  the  diificulties  of  an  early  stage  of  their 
Ifa  (mpuise   religious  career.     He  is  impelled  by  an  irresistible 
knoton  fo      impulse  to  try  upon  others — his  relatives,  friends, 
coiurr  of  tijis  neighbours,  dependants — the  powers  of  that  Name, 
^""'         which  has  already  wrought  such  wonders  in  his 
soul,  and  to  which  (as  his  conscience  now  responds, 
re-echoing  the  words  of  Inspiration)  "  all   things 
in  heaven,  in  earth,  and  under  the  earth,  do  bow 
and  obey."     A  soul  chafed  with  religious  emotion 
g(s  im-        is  naturally  impatient  of  restraint — he  cannot  wait, 
wJitaint!'      he  thinks,  for  the  tedious  processes  by  which,  in 
the  ordinary  course,  the  surplice  and  the  academi- 
cal hood  are  made,  like  the  prophet's  mantle,  to 
fall  upon  a  man's  shoulders.     What  matter  those 
or   any   other   forms?      (I   am  representing  his 
sentiments,  not  expressing  my  own  concurrence 
in  them.)     Souls  are  perishing  all  around  him. 
He  "  believes"  (with  the  Apostles),  and  therefore 
5ucrc33of     with  the  Apostles  will  he  "  speak."     And  very 
tis  mmiBtro.  ^^^^^^  (may  we  not  say  always,  more  or  less  ?  for 
zeal  has  a  marvellous  self-propagating  power)  he 
not  only  speaks,  but  speaks  with  the  best  efiFect. 
Other  hearts  vibrate  as  he  sounds  forth  the  ISTame, 
anb  tfic  tfffrt  ^^^^icli  is  the  alone  key-note  of  all  spiritual  har- 
of  Slid]  sue-    mony.     Then  follows  a  reflex  action  upon  his  own 

rcss  upon  J  ^ 

Jiimscif.  mind.  He  is  amazed,  or  rather  awe-stricken,  at 
the  effect  which  he  has  himself  produced.  "  There 
is  no  man  which  shall  do  a  miracle  in  my  name, 
that  can  lightly  speak  evil  of  me."  Lightly  speak 
evil  of  Christ!  No;  that  is  indeed  for  such  a 
man  a  moral  impossibility.  He  is  far  too  solemnly 
impressed  with  the  reality  of  the  power,  which  the 


II.]        iozuards  orthodox  Separatists.         5 1 

great  Name  exercises.  AVlien  Frankenstein  in  the 
fiction  had  completed  tlie  fabric  of  a  human  body, 
having  curiously  compounded  the  materials  which 
go  to  make  up  our  animal  frame,  and  prepared 
the  internal  system  of  bones,  muscles,  arteries, 
ducts,  and  glands,  he  was  ovenvhelmed  with  an 
ecstatic  awe,  when  he  perceived  symptoms  that 
the  vital  spark  had  descended  into  this  dead 
machinery,  when  the  chest  began  to  heave,  and 
the  pulse  to  throb,  and  the  eye  to  flash,  and  the 
rigid  muscles  of  the  countenance  to  relax  into 
play  of  feature,  and  to  dawn  into  expression.  And 
a  similar,  though  a  far  deeper,  sensation  of  awe 
creeps  over  a  man  when  he  becomes  aware  that, 
in  obedience  to  his  proclamation  of  the  gospel  of 
Christ,  a  dead  soul  is  being  quickened,  a  mouth 
which  before  was  mute  is  beginning  joyfully  to 
articulate  the  praises  of  God,  and  a  heart  which 
before  was  of  stone  is  now  changing  its  nature  to 
throbbing  palpitating  flesh.  That  man  has  proved 
l)y  experiment  in  his  own  soul,  and  in  the  souls 
of  others,  the  power  of  the  Name  of  Jesus.  And 
is  not  that  Name  the  great  secret  of  success,  by 
which  alone  souls  can  be  won,  whether  in  or  out 
of  the  Apostles'  fellowship  ?  For  what  end  does 
the  Church  herself  exist,  but  to  win  and  edify 
souls  ?  The  case  then  stands  thus ;  that  a  man 
who  follows  not  with  the  Church,  has  stolen  the 
Church's  secret,  and  finds  it  as  operative  in  his 
hands  as  it  is  in  hers. 

How  then  does  the  Lord  of  the  Church  instruct  i?Dfa  fee  are 
us  to  deal  with  such  persons,  and  to  regard  them  ?  sucTj"sons. 
Does  He  say  to  His  Apostles  that  His  doctrine 


52 


Duty  of  the  Church 


[chap. 


StaU, 


not  tfje 

(Eliurctj,  arc 
to  forbil) 
tijnn. 


was  the  only  thing  they  need  regard,  and  that  His 
fellowship  was  nothing  ?  Does  He  say,  "  It  would 
be  no  advantage  to  that  man,  if  he  did  company 
with  you  all  the  time  that  I,  the  Lord  Jesus,  am 
coming  in  and  going  out  amongst  you "  ?  Does 
He  say,  "  Do  not  imagine  that  you  are  any  gainers 
by  being  in  My  company,  or  that  you  would  be 
any  losers  by  forsaking  it "  ?  I  hear  nothing  of 
the  kind  from  Him ;  and  if  men  will  pervert  His 
blessed  words  to  this  meaning,  they  must  take  on 
themselves  the  responsibility  of  wresting  the 
Scriptures  to  their  own  one-sided  views.  "  Jesus 
said,  Forbid  him  not."  Happy,  thrice  happy  Eng- 
land, in  which  the  law  of  the  land  echoes  back 
this  precept  of  the  Church's  Head,  "  Forbid  him 
not;"  in  which  any  and  every  man  who  has  a 
secret,  whereby  he  considers  that  his  fellow- 
creatures  may  be  benefited,  is  at  full  liberty  to 
announce  it,  even  should  it  go  the  length  of 
fanatical  extravagance.  Let  all  religionists  say 
their  say,  of  whatever  sect  and  creed, — nay,  let 
them  say  it,  even  should  they  discard  and  refuse 
to  recognise  the  wonder-working  Name,  from  the 
use  of  which  alone  spiritual  results  will  flow. — 
But  these  heavenly  words  of  Christ  are  not  to  be 
emptied  of  their  force,  by  being  regarded  as  a 
mere  precept  of  legal  toleration.  Oh  no  !  Not 
only  is  the  State  not  to  forbid,  but  the  Church  (the 
one  Apostolic  Fellowship)  is  not  to  forbid  those, 
who,  by  a  believing  use  of  the  Name  of  Jesus, 
convert  and  edify  the  souls  of  men.  And  more 
than  this  :  "  He  that  is  not  against  us  "  (or,  accord- 
ing to  the  much  better  reading  of  several  excel- 


II.]        toivai'ds  ortJiodox  Separatists.        53 

lent  manuscripts),  "  He  that  is  not  against  yon  is  on  me  must 
your  part."  The  man  is  actually  doing  your  work,  hi3too"^k  aa' 
and  furthering  your  end.  For  what  is  the  work  miTbfiblink- 
of  the  Church  ?  Is  it  not  the  salvation  of  souls  ?  ^"'  ^"  '^ 
And  what  is  the  end  of  the  Church  ?  Is  it  not 
that  glory  of  God,  which  is  most  strikingly  illus- 
trated by  the  salvation  of  souls  ?  Then,  if  this 
man  is  to  all  appearance  saving  souls,  and  bring- 
ing men  to  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly  in 
this  present  world, — if  he  is  really  exorcising 
from  the  souls  of  this  crooked  and  perverse  genera- 
tion the  demons  of  sensuality,  covetousness,  and 
earthly-raindedness,  which  have  entrenched  them- 
selves there, — you  may  indeed,  and  should,  grieve 
for  the  loss  and  forfeiture  which  he  sustains  by 
his  separation  from  the  lineal  succession ;  but, 
so  far  from  forbidding  him,  you  must  acknow- 
ledge his  work  as  from  God,  and  be  sincerely 
thankful  for  its  progress,  and  say,  as  the  Apostle 
born  out  of  due  time  said,  who  did  not  indeed 
hear  the  Lord's  words  on  this  occasion,  but  doubt- 
less did  hear  of  them,  "  Notwithstanding,  every 
way,  whether  in  pretence,  or  in  truth,  Christ  is 
preached ;  and  I  therein  do  rejoice,  yea,  and  will 
rejoice"  (Phil.  i.  18). 

"NVe  do  not   believe  that  the   strictest  main-  cfturi*  prin 
tenance  of  Church  principles  is  inconsistent  with  m^ans  in-"° 
universal   Christian   sympathy,      ^^^lile,  in   de-  toiircSia- 
ference  to  truth,  we  cannot  recognise  that  schis-  patbg."'"" 
matical  societies  have  the  divine  sanction,  or  are 
built  upon  the  divine  ground-plan,  we  do  not  feel 
ourselves   precluded    from   recognising    eminent 
saintliness,  and  eminent  efficiency  for  good,  in 


54  Duty  of  the  CJmrch  [chap. 

many  individuals  belonging  to  such  societies.  It 
is  a  very  observable  fact,  on  wliicli  we  propose  to 
dwell  further  in  the  sequel,  that  although  the 
kingdom  of  Jeroboam  was  a  schismatical  polity, 
appearand  of  certainly  not  contemplated  in  the  original  draught 

saintlincsa  .     .        ;^  ,  ^      ,  .  .   .         ^  .         ° 

antiWsi)       01  the  Hebrew  monarchy,  which  was  to  be  one, 

proprictical  ,  '' 

sifts  in  the  and  always  to  run  m  the  tribe  of  Judah  and  in 
itinstiom  of  tliB  royal  line  of  David,  yet  the  representative  of 
erribcs.  all  the  Prophets,  and  the  only  man  (except  Enoch) 
whose  saintliness  was  crowned  with  an  assumption 
to  glory,  was  born  a  subject  of  the  schismatical 
kingdom,  and  ministered  not  in  Judah  but  in  Israel. 
Who,  on  the  one  hand,  will  dare  to  dispute  that 
Elijah  was  a  true  prophet  ?  Who,  on  the  other 
hand,  wiU  presume  to  deny  that  the  royal  family  of 
David  had  a  claim  upon  the  allegiance  of  every 
Hebrew,  in  virtue  of  the  Divine  charter  made  to 
him  and  his  heirs,  and  that  the  lamp  of  promise 
and  covenant  was  handed  down  exclusively  in 
that  line,  until  at  length  it  rested  on  the  head  of 
Messiah  ?  And  as  I  have  thus  brought  into  the 
argument  what  (strictly  speaking)  the  passage  of 
Scripture  on  which  I  am  dwelling  does  not  lead 
me  to  the  consideration  of, — the  case  of  schis- 
matical Communions,  as  distinct  from  that  of  the 
individuals  found  in  their  bosoms, — I  wiU  close 
this  Chapter  with  the  striking  words  of  one  who, 
had  he  lived,  would  probably  have  been  at  pre- 
sent a  foremost  divine  of  our  Church.  After 
vindicating  in  a  masterly  argument  (worthy  of  his 
namesake.  Bishop  Butler)  the  claims  of  the 
Church  upon  the  allegiance  of  all  good  Chris- 
tians,  as   being    lineally  the   fellowship  of   the 


II.]        towards  orthodox  Separatists.         55 

Apostles,  he  adds  this  image  of  the  relation  borne 
to  the  Church  by  the  orthodox  religious  communi- 
ties of  this  country. 

"  When  our  Lord  was  in  that  ship  in  the  tern-  Srf)ismat{cai 
pest,  which  all  ages  have  agreed  in  employing  as  iubicfi  prcact 
a  type  of  His  Church,  St.  Mark  alone  of  the  the  *  uttu 
Evangelists,  as  it  were  incidentally,  observes —  hiakf  of  "fie ' 
'  And  there  were  also  with  Him  other  little  ships.'  borftbe 
Nothing  more  is  said   through  the  narrative  of  cbrist!'' 
these  '  little  ships.'    Yet  they,  doubtless,  enjoyed  a 
share  in  the  blessing  of  calm  obtained  by  the  ship 
that  bore  Jesus  Christ.    I  have  sometimes  thought 
that  they  picture   vividly  the  fortunes  of  those 
societies,  which  in  these  later  ages  have  moved 
in  the  wake  of  the  ancient  Apostolic  Church; 
which  are  with  it  forced  to  endure  the  storms  of 
a  world  impartially  hostile  to  every  form  of  re- 
ligious effort ;  and  which  are  not  without  partici-    ' 
pating  in  the   blessings   of  the   holy  Presence 
abiding  in  that  Church,  as  long  as  in  sincerity  of 
heart  they  endeavour  to  keep  up  with  the  Master 
in  His  course." — {Professor  Archer  Butlers  Ser- 
mons.) 


€ntc£hi0m  axi  Chrtjr.  EE. 

1.  Catechi'st. — In  your  former  examination  you  stated 
that  Christ  bad  founded  a  great  world-embracing 
Society,  and  had  commissioned  His  Apostles  to 
call  all  men  into  it.  This  is  the  great  Church 
truth  of  God's  Word.  What  other  great  truth  is 
there,  which  must  be  held  fast  at  the  same  time, 
and  with  equal  earnestness? 
Answer. — That  Christ  taught,  and  commissioned  Hi-s 


56  Catechism.  [chap. 

Apostles  to  teacb,  certain  doctrines;    and  that  these 
doctrines  must  be  maintained  and  clung  to. 

2.  CatecMst. — This  is  a  truth  which  might  lead  us  in 
a  direction  contrary  to  the  former.  For  if  the 
Society  founded  by  Christ  should  happen  at  any 
time  not  to  hold  the  doctrines  which  He  taught,  a 
question  would  arise  whether  we  should  hold  to 
the  Society  or  to  the  doctrines.  Can  you  give 
any  other  instances  of  two  rival  truths  of  God's 
Word,  which  lead  in  opposite  directions  ? 

Answer. — Yes.  It  is  a  truth,  on  the  one  hand,  that 
some  persons  are  chosen  by  God  to  eternal  life. 
"  But  we  are  bound  to  give  thanks  alway  to  God  for 
you,  brethren  beloved  of  the  Lord,  because  God  hath 
from  the  beginning  chosen  you  to  salvation  through 
sanctification  of  the  Spirit  and  belief  of  the  truth " 
(2  Thess.  ii.  13).  And  it  is  a  truth,  on  the  other  hand, 
that,  if  we  fail  to  attain  salvation,  the  failure  is  to  be 
set  down  entirely  to  our  own  fault.  "  Why  will  ye  die, 
0  house  of  Israel?  For  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the 
death  of  him  that  dieth,  saith  the  Lord  God :  where- 
fore turn  yourselves,  and  live  ye  ''  (Ezek.  xviii.  31,  32). 
Again ;  it  is  a  truth  of  God's  Word  that  salvation  is  by 
grace.  "  By  grace  are  ye  saved  through  faith ;  and 
that  not  of  yourselves :  it  is  the  gift  of  God"  (Eph.  ii. 
8).  But  it  is  equally  a  truth  of  God's  Word  that  our 
will  is  free  to  work  out,  or  not  to  work  out,  our  own 
salvation.  "  Work  out  your  own  salvation  with  fear 
and  trembling  "  (Phil.  ii.  12) ;  "  Let  us  labour  to  enter 
into  that  rest "  (Heb.  iv.  11) ;  "  Giving  all  diligence, 
add  to  your  faith  virtue ;  and  to  virtue  knowledge," 
etc.  (2  Pet.  i.  5,  etc.)  Though  indeed  there  is  no  need 
to  prove  that  the  human  will  is  free ;  for  every  precept 
of  the  Bible  proves  it,  unless  we  suppose  that  God 
mocks  mankind  by  giving  them  commands  which  they 
are  unable  to  fulfil. 

3.  Question. — Do  you  find  anything  in  Nature  which 
resembles  these  rival  truths  of  Holy  Scripture  ? 

Answer. — Yes :    we  find   in   Nature   a  balance   of 


II.]  Catechism.  57 

forces,  and  a  system  of  checks.  The  centrifugal  power 
in  astronomy  counteracts  the  centripetal,  and  the  two 
together  keep  the  planet  in  its  orbit.  And  many  tribes 
of  animals  keep  one  another  in  check.  The  small 
birds  destroy  certain  tribes  of  insects  which,  if  they 
were  allowed  to  multiply  without  restraint,  would  be 
mischievous  to  vegetation. 

4.  Catechist. — You  speak  of  these  things  as  forces  and 
checks  in  Nature.  What  are  the  forces  and  checks 
in  the  spiritual  system  called  ? 

Answer. — Religious  truths  ;  which  are  forces  opera- 
tive upon  the  heart  and  will  of  man,  and  several  of 
which  hold  one  another  iu  equipoise,  and  keep  him  who 
observes  them  in  a  right  path,  steering  him  clear  of 
opposite  perils. 

5.  Catechist. — Repeat  once  again  the  rival  truths  now 
under  consideration. 

Answer. — That  we  must  continue  in  the  Church 
which  Christ  and  His  Apostles  founded,  and  also 
maintain  as  dearer  than  life  the  truths  they  taught. 

6.  Question. — In  what  words  are  we  told  that  the 
early  Christians  did  both  of  these  things? 

Answer. — It  is  said  that  "  they  continued  stedfastly 
in  the  Apostles'  doctrine  and  fellowship  "  (Acts  ii.  42). 

7.  Question. — What  soon  made  it  difficult  for  Chris- 
tians to  continue  in  both  ? 

Answer. — The  novelties  and  errors  which  crept  into 
the  Church  ;  the  superstitions  and  abuses  which  grew 
up  in  it ;  and,  in  process  of  time,  the  unscriptural  doc- 
trines and  practices  which  were  not  only  maintained  but 
sanctioned. 

8.  Question. — Did  these  corruptions  take  their  rise 
very  early? 

Answer. — Yes.  We  find  that  even  in  the  days  when 
inspired  Apostles  ruled  the  Church,  serious  errors  began 
to  show  their  heads.  Thus  there  were  "some  among" 
the  Corinthian  Christians,  who  said  that  there  was  "  no 
resurrection  of  the  dead"  (1  Cor.  xv.  12);  some  at 


58  Catechism.  [chap. 

Ephesus  who  said  that  "  the  resurrection  "  was  "  past 
already  "  (2  Tim.  ii.  18).  And  St.  John  tells  us  that 
in  his  time  there  were  "  many  Antichrists  "  (1  John  ii. 
18  and  iv.  3),  and  St.  Paul  that  "  the  mystery  of 
iniquity  "  was  already  working,  but  under  a  hindrance, 
the  removal  of  which  should  be  followed  by  the  revela- 
tion of  the  Man  of  Sin  (2  Thess.  ii.  3,  7,  8). 

9.  Question. — If  God's  Truth  and  God's  Church  were 
so  utterly  at  variance  that  we  could  not  abide  by 
both,  what  reason  might  justly  move  us  to  abide 
by  the  Truth  in  preference   to    abiding  by  the 
Church  ? 
Answer. — That  the   Truth,  as   given    in    the   Holy 
Scriptures,  is  entirely  pure,  and  cannot  be  corrupted ; 
but  the  Church  is  composed  of  sinful  and  fallible  men ; 
and  it  was  predicted  by  our  Lord  that  there  should  be 
in  it  the  tares  of  error  and  evil ;  and  these  tares  actu- 
ally appeared  even  in  the  days  of  His  Apostles. 

10.  Question. — How  did  it  come  to  pass  that  in  Eng- 
land there  was  no  difficulty  in  abiding  both  by  the 
doctrine  and  by  the  fellowship  of  the  Apostles, 
whereas,  in  other  less  highly-favoured  countries, 
good  men  were  driven  to  leave  the  old  Church, 
and  form  new  Communions  of  their  own  ? 

Answer. — Because  in  England  by  far  the  greater 
number  of  the  Bishops  and  Clergy  came  round  to  the 
side  of  the  Reformation,  and  thus  there  was  no  diffi- 
culty in  continuing  the  Church  upon  its  old  foundation, 
while  abuses  and  corruptions  were  swept  away ;  but  in 
other  countries,  the  Bishops  (who  alone  can  continue 
the  ministerial  succession  by  conferring  Holy  Orders) 
maintained  the  old  abuses,  and  refused  to  consecrate 
or  ordain  any  one  who  sympathized  with  the  new  move- 
ment. 

11.  Question. — What  do  you  mean  by  a  Christian  de- 
nomination ? 

Answer. — A  body  of  professing  Christians  who  re- 
ceive the  Creeds  and  leading  truths  of  Religion,  but  who 
have  separated  from  the  Church,  and  assumed  to  them- 


II.]  Catechism.  59 

selves  an  authority  to  administer  the  Holy  Sacraments, 
not  derived  from  the  Apostles  of  Christ.  This  definition 
liolds  good  of  most  denominations.  The  Quakers,  how- 
ever, have  no  Sacraments,  and  disparage  all  outward 
urdinanoes. 

12.  Question. — Quote  some  passages  of  Holy  Scripture, 
■which  strongly  condemn  the  division  of  Christians 
into  several  bodies. 

Answer. — St,  John  xvii.  20,  21,  "  Neither  pray  I 
for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also  which  shall  believe 
on  me  through  their  word  ;  that  they  all  may  be  one  ; 
as  thou.  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also 
may  be  one  in  us :  that  the  world  may  believe  that 
thou  hast  sent  me."  Eph.  iv.  4,  "  There  is  one  body, 
and  one  Spirit."  llom.  xvi.  17,  "Now  I  beseech  you, 
brethren,  mark  them  which  cause  divisions  and  offences, 
contrary  to  the  doctrine  which  ye  have  learned ;  and 
avoid  them."  1  Cor.  i.  10,  11,  12, 13,  "  Now  I  be- 
seech you,  brethren,  by  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  that  ye  all  speak  the  same  thing,  and  that  there 
be  no  divisions  among  you ;  but  that  ye  be  perfectly 
joined  together  in  the  same  mind  and  in  the  same 
judgment.  For  it  hath  been  declared  unto  me  of  you, 
my  brethren,  by  them  which  are  of  the  house  of  Chloe, 
that  there  are  contentions  among  you.  Now  this  I  say, 
that  every  one  of  you  saith,  I  am  of  Paul ;  and  I  of 
ApoUos  ;  and  I  of  Cephas  ;  and  I  of  Christ.  Is  Christ 
divided  ?  was  Paul  crucified  for  you  ?  or  were  ye 
baptized  in  the  name  of  Paul?" 

13.  Question. — But,  although  separation  from  the 
Church  of  Christ's  foundation  cannot  be  justified 
(more  especially  in  a  country  like  our  own,  where 
the  Church  holds  and  teaches  God's  Truth),  is  it 
not  a  fact  that  many  members  of  dissenting  bodies, 
as  also  many  foreign  Protestants,  are  eminently 
holy  and  devoted  men,  and  that  many  souls  are 
won  to  Christ  by  the  ministrations  of  those  who 
have  never  been  lawfully  or  regularly  ordained  ? 

Answer. — Most  assuredly.     God's  Grace  may  often 


6o  CatecJiism.  [chap. 

be  found  flowing  outside  the  channels  of  His  own  ap- 
pointment. 

14.  Question. — What  sort  of  sin  would  it  be  to  deny 
the  working  of  God's  Hand,  where  spiritual  good 
is  manifestl}'  done,  and  where  the  proper  evidences 
are  given  of  piety  and  devotion  ? 

Answer. — A  very  grave  sin,  resembling  in  kind  (if 
not  in  degree)  that  of  the  Pharisees,  who  ascribed  our 
Saviour's  miracles  to  Beelzebub,  and  are  censured  for 
"blasphemy  against  the  Holy  Ghost,"  i.e.  a  sinning 
against  the  evidences  of  His  power,  and  a  perverse 
denial  of  the  convictions  wrought  in  the  heart  by  those 
evidences. 

15.  Question. — If  then  we  cannot,  on  the  one  hand, 
justify  or  excuse  separation,  nor,  on  the  other, 
deny  the  good  manifested  and  done  by  many 
separatists,  in  what  light  are  we  to  regard  such  of 
them  as  manifest  and  do  good  ? 

Ansiver. — We  are  to  regard  them  much  as  the 
Apostles  were  directed  to  regard  the  man  who  cast 
out  devils  in  the  Lord's  Name,  but  did  not  follow  with 
them  (St.  Mark  ix.  38,  39). 

16.  Question. — In  the  case  you  refer  to,  how  is  it 
evident  that  the  man  himself  was  a  sincere  be- 
liever in  Christ  ? 

A7iswer. — Because,  had  he  tried  the  power  of  Christ's 
Name  upon  others,  without  experiencing  it  in  his  own 
heart,  it  would  not  have  had  any  effect. 

17.  Question. — How  do  you  know  that? 

Answer. — From  Acts  xix.  13-16,  where  we  read  that 
the  "  seven  sons  of  one  Sceva,  a  Jew,  and  chief  of  the 
priests,  .  .  .  took  upon  them  to  call  over  them  which 
had  evil  spirits  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  saying. 
We  .adjure  you  by  Jesus,  whom  Paul  preacheth."  But 
these  vagabond  Jews  were  repulsed  by  the  evil  spirit 
whom  they  sought  to  expel.  They  "  acknowledged" 
the  authority  of  Jesus,  and  "  knew"  ^  Paul  as  His  faith- 

^  The  distinction  between  yivaa-Kco  and  fnia-TafJiai  in  ver. 
15  must  not  be  overlooked. 


II.]  Catechism.  6i 

fill  servant  and  Apostle,  but  neither  acknowledged  nor 
knew  these  pretenders.  "  The  man  ia  whom  the  evil 
spirit  was  leaped  on  them,  and  overcame  them,  and 
prevailed  against  them,  so  that  they  fled  out  of  that 
house  naked  and  wounded." 

18.  Question. — But  if  this  man,  who  actually  cast  out 
devils  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  was  a  sincere  believer, 
in  what  respects  was  he  wrong? 

Answer. — In  not  following  Christ  in  the  regular  and 
appointed  way.  It  does  not  appear  that  he  had  been 
called  by  Christ,  as  the  Apostles  had.  Doubtless  he 
had  been  impressed  by  the  miracles  and  discourses  of 
our  Lord,  but  it  does  not  appear  that  he  had  gone  to 
the  Apostles  and  sought  baptism  from  them,  as  he 
might  have  done ;  for  we  are  told  that,  during  our 
Lord's  ministry.  He  baptized  (by  the  hands  of  His 
Apostles),  and  that  multitudes  flocked  to  His  baptism 
(St.  John  iv.  1,  2,  and  iii.  2G).  Thus  he  had  no  call  to 
preach  the  Gospel ;  and  he  does  not  seem  himself  to 
have  received  the  Gospel  in  the  regular  way. 

19.  Question. — Must  he  have  been  a  great  loser  by 
"  not  following"  Jesus  ? 

Answer. — Doubtless.  Our  Lord's  words  and  ex- 
ample must  have  been  of  unspeakable  advantage  to 
those,  who  had  daily  opportunities  of  observing  Him. 

20.  Question. — But,  after  our  Lord's  bodily  presence 
was  withdrawn,  would  he  have  been  a  loser  by 
"  not  following  with"  the  Apostles  ? 

Answer. — Certainly ;  for  their  Master  had  given 
them  the  words  which  God  had  given  Him  (St.  John 
xvii.  8) ;  had  made  known  unto  them  all  things  that 
He  had  heard  of  His  Father  (St.  John  xv.  15);  had 
moulded  them  by  His  example  and  influence  into  the 
character  which  He  approved ;  and,  to  crown  all,  sent 
down  upon  them  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost, to  guide  them  into  all  the  truth  (St.  John  xvi.  13), 
and  to  set  up  in  the  earth  the  "Apostles'  fellowship," 
"  the  household  of  God,"  which  is  "  built  upon  the 
foundation  of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus  Christ 
himself  being  the  chief  corner-stone  "  (Eph.  ii.  19,  20). 


62  Catechism.  [chap. 

21.  Question. — Does  this  "fellowship  of  the  Apostles" 
still  exist  in  the  world  ? 

Ansiver. — Certainly.  The  Apostles  consecrated 
Timothy,  and  Titus,  and  other  Bishops,  to  superintend 
the  different  Churches  founded  by  themselves ;  and 
these  Bishops,  according  to  the  instructions  given 
them,  handed  on  to  others  their  doctrine,  their  com- 
mission, and  the  grace  of  Ordination  (see  2  Tim.  ii.  2, 
and  i.  6,  7  ;  and  1  Tim.  iii.  2,  5,  6  ;  and  Titus  i.  5,  6), 
and  these  again,  in  their  turn,  sent  other  labourers  into 
the  Lord's  vineyard,  until  the  commission  came  down 
in  regular  course  to  our  present  Bishops  and  Clergy. 

22.  CatecTiist. — St.  Paul  consecrated  Titus  to  be 
Bishop  of  Crete.  It  is  easy  to  understand,  then, 
that  a  Christian  in  the  island  of  Crete,  who  set 
up  a  different  Communion  from  that  of  which 
Titus  was  the  head,  and  took  upon  him  to  con- 
secrate or  ordain,  though  he  had  never  received 
the  commission  to  do  so  from  Titus,  would  be 
acting  wrongly  and  presumptuously.  What  is  the 
difference  between  his  case  and  that  of  a  man  who 
in  our  days  sets  up  a  division,  and  assumes  autho- 
rity to  minister  the  "Word  and  Sacraments  ? 

Ansiver. — The  only  difference  is,  that  there  is  but 
one  Bishop  intervening  between  St.  Paul  and  the  sup- 
posed Christian  in  Crete ;  whereas  between  St.  Paul 
and  the  modern  separatist  there  are  very  many  links  of 
the  Episcopate  intervening. 

23.  Question. — And  does  not  this  circumstance  of  the 
many  links  through  which  the  ministry  is  derived 
(several  of  those  links  having  been  profligate, 
superstitious,  or  even  unbelieving  Bishops),  some- 
what invalidate  the  commission  ? 

Ansiver. — By  no  means.  If  a  Society  is  founded  by 
Koyal  Charter,  and  regularly  continued  by  the  lawful 
admission  of  members,  no  negligence  or  misconduct  of 
the*  members  can  annul  the  Charter,  or  make  it  need 
renewing, 

24.  Question. — How  does   it  appear  from  our  Lord's 


II.]  CatccJiism.  63 

commission  to  His  Apostles  that  He  designed  it 

to  be  carried  onward  by  future  generations  to  the 

end  of  time? 

Ansicer. — Because,  though  He  must  have  known  that 

His  Apostles  would  not  live  to  the  end  of  the  world, 

Ho  says  that  He  will  be  "with  "  them  "  alway,  even 

unto  the  end  of  the  world."    By  "  them,"  therefore,  he 

must  have  meant  not  only  themselves  personally,  but 

all  who  in  future  generations  should  represent  them. 

25.  Question. — But  what  is  the  direct  lesson  taught 
us  by  the  narrative  of  the  man  who  cast  out  devils 
in  the  Lord's  Name,  and  whom  He  would  not 
have  His  Apostles  forbid  ? 

Ansicer. — That  of  cultivating,  besides  Church  prin- 
ciples, a  spirit  of  universal  Christian  sympathy. 

26.  Question. — "Who  in  these  days  seems  to  corre- 
spond to  the  man  in  the  narrative  ? 

Answer. — Those  who,  having  felt  the  power  of 
Christ's  Name  in  their  own  hearts  and  consciences,  are 
impelled  to  communicate  to  others  the  secret,  which  has 
brought  peace,  and  joy,  and  victory  over  besetting  sin  to 
themselves. 

27.  Question. — What  mistake  is  such  a  person  apt  to 
make  ? 

Answer. — The  mistake  of  not  waiting  till  he  is  called 
in  a  regular  way  to  preach,  and  of  putting  himself  into 
the  Ministry,  instead  of  being  put  there  by  the  Church. 

28.  Question. — But  is  it  often  found  that,  notwith- 
standing this  great  mistake,  the  ministry  of  such  a 
man  is  a  success  ? 

Answer. — It  is.  The  Name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  than 
which  "  there  is  none  other  Name  under  heaven  given 
among  men,  whereby  we  must  be  saved  "  (Acts  iv.  12), 
has  such  marvellous  and  potent  virtue  that  it  cannot 
fail,  when  proclaimed  by  one  who  has  experienced  its 
virtue,  to  carry  grace  and  power  with  it.  Dead  souls 
are  quickened  by  the  proclamation. 

29.  Question. — "WTiat  effect  has  this  success  upon  the 
man  who  is  instrumental  in  achieving  it? 


64  Catechism.  [chap. 

Answer. — "While,  on  the  one  hand,  it  flatters  his 
natural  vanity,  on  the  other,  it  certainly  tends  to 
deepen  the  impression  already  made  on  his  own  heart. 
It  solemnizes  his  mind,  and  brings  into  it  a  feeling  of 
awe  in  connexion  with  Divine  Truth,  so  as  to  make  it  an 
impossibility  for  him  "  lightly  to  speak  evil"  of  Christ. 

30.  Question. — How  does  our  Lord  instruct  us  to  deal 
with  such  persons  ? 

Answer. — He  bids  us  simply  "  not  forbid  them  "  to 
act  as  they  are  doing. 

31.  Question. — And  why  are  we  not  to  forbid  them  ? 
Answer. — Because  they  are  really  on  the  Church's 

side,  and  furthering  (though  in  an  irregular  way)  the 
Church's  work.  "  He  that  is  not  against  you  is  on  your 
part." 

32.  Catechist. — What  is  the  Church's  work  ? 
Answer. — The  salvation  of  souls  by  the  power  of  the 

Name  of  Jesus. 

33.  Question. — Do  we  find  that  the  Apostles  rejoiced 
in  the  announcement  of  this  Name,  even  when  it 
was  announced  in  a  vexatious  and  unloving  spirit, 
because  they  knew  it  to  be  the  only  instrument  of 
sanctifying  and  saving  souls  ? 

Answer.— Yes.  St.  Paul  says  (Phil.i.  15-18),  "  Some 
indeed  preach  Christ  even  of  envy  and  strife ;  and 
some  also  of  good  will :  the  one  preach  Christ  of  con- 
tention, not  sincerely,  supposing  to  add  affliction  to  my 
bonds :  but  the  other  of  love,  knowing  that  I  am  set 
for  the  defence  of  the  gospel.  What  then  ?  notwith- 
standing, every  way,  whether  in  pretence,  or  in  truth, 
Christ  is  preached;  and  I  therein  do  rejoice,  yea,  and 
will  rejoice." 

34.  Question. — But  is  our  Lord's  precept,  "Forbid 
him  not,"  to  be  understood  as  authorizing  or 
sanctioning  an  uncommissioned  Ministry,  or  as 
making  light  of  the  "  Apostles'  fellowship  ?  " 

Ansioer. — No.  To  understand  it  so  would  be  to 
"  add  unto  "  the  words  of  God,  which  we  are  forbidden 


II.]  Catechism.  65 

to  do  under  a  threat  of  fearful  plagues.     (See  Rev. 
xxii.  18,  19.) 

35.  Question. — Is  there  any  ground  in  the  narrative  of 
the  Old  Testament  for  thinking  that  great  spiritual 
good  may  be  done  by  Communions  of  separatists  ? 

Ansiver. — The  appearance  of  Elijah  and  other  great 
prophets  in  the  kingdom  of  the  ton  schismatical  tribes, 
which  had  thrown  off  their  allegiance  to  the  royal 
family  of  David,  seems  to  show  that  God  does  not 
always  limit  His  graces  to  the  regular  channel.  Elijah 
was  the  greatest  of  all  the  prophets ;  but  the  scene  of 
his  ministry  was  schismatical  Israel. 

36.  Question. — Can  you  point  out,  however,  why  this 
argument,  good  as  far  as  it  goes,  must  not  be 
pressed  too  far  ? 

Anstver.—  Because  the  cases  are  not  exactly  parallel. 
God  did  explicitly,  and  in  so  many  words,  sanction  the 
schismatical  kingdom  of  the  Ten  Tribes,  nay,  cause  it 
to  be  set  up  (see  1  Kings  xi.  31,  35,  38);  but  He  has 
never  given  His  sanction  to  a  schismatical  Christian 
Communion  (otherwise  than  by  crowning  its  ministry 
with  success). 

37.  Question. — Has  any  Scriptural  image  been  sug- 
gested for  the  orthodox  religious  communities  of 
this  country,  which  represents  their  position  in  a 
very  favourable  light  ? 

Ansu-er. — Yes.  They  have  been  compared  to  the 
"  other  little  ships "  which  St.  Mark  tells  us  (iv.  36) 
were  in  attendance  on  the  larger  boat,  which  bore  the 
Saviour  Himself.  Similarly  these  "  other  little  ships  " 
have  been  supposed  "  to  picture  vividly  the  fortunes  of 
those  societies,  which  in  these  later  ages  have  moved 
in  the  wake  of  the  ancient  Apostolic  Church ;  which 
are  with  it  forced  to  endure  the  storms  of  a  world  im- 
partially hostile  to  every  form  of  religious  effort ;  and 
which  are  not  without  participating  in  the  blessings  of 
the  holy  Presence  abiding  in  that  Church,  as  long  as 
in  sincerity  of  heart  they  endeavour  to  keep  up  with 
the  Master  in  His  course." 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  UNITY  OF  THE  CHURCH,  AND  ITS 
DISRUPTION. 

*' Jltithcr  pxn'o  I  for  thtst  alone,  but  for  them  also  tohicit 
shvitl  ieltcbe  on  me  through  their  toori  ;  that  theg  all 
mag  be  one ;  as  thou,  (dfathcr,  art  in  me,  anb  i  in  thee, 
that  theii  also  mai)  he  one  in  us :  that  the  toorlb  mau 
ielicbc  that  thou  hast  sent  me."— St.  John  xvii. 
20,  21. 

srteiii&isions  fTlHEEE  is  nothing  to  -which  habit  of  long  stand- 

mcibt  tola-     -^    ing  will  not  inure  US.    There  are  certain  abuses 

onig  bg"our    and  anomalies  which,  if  we  were  not  accustomed 

Cuj  ti)m:     to  see  them  every  day,  we  should  cry  out  against 

as  altogether  flagrant  and  intolerable ;  but  which, 

as  our  eyes  are  always  resting  upon  them,  we 

accept  as  part  of  the  normal  condition  of  things. 

One  of  these  grievous  abuses  and  anomalies  is  the 

want  of  unity  in  the  Church  or  Christian  Society. 

The  Church  has,  at  many  periods  of  her  history, 

departed,  both  in  doctrine  and  practice,  from  the 

original  design  of  her  Founder,  but  perhaps  in  no 

mnita^         point   so   strikingly  as  in   this  of  unity.      The 

ficsign  for      dying  prayer  of  our  Lord  for  His  disciples  (I  call 

'S^uu^j.  ^^  -jj^g  dying  prayer,  because  it  was  offered  on  the 

night  before  His  death)  solicits  for  them  an  union 

as  intimate,  as  dear,  as  profound  as  that  which 


cii.  III.]     The  Unity  of  the  CJnirch.  67 

knits  togetlier  the  Persons  of  the  Blessed  Trinity 
in  Unity ;  "  Holy  Father,  keep  through  thine  own 
name  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me,  that  tlicy 
may  he  one,  as  we  are."     And  lest  it  should  Le  bofatbnr 
thought  that  such   an  unity  might  indeed  be  micb^'in ' 
more  or  less  practicable,  so  long  as  the  Church  bmmt°  '"^ 
was  a  small  and  numerically  insignificant  body, 
lield  together  by  external  pressure  from  the  un- 
believing world,  but  would  become  impossible  of 
realization,  as  soon  as  Christianity  had  spread 
itself  over  the  face   of  the  world,  and  boasted 
disciples  in  every  nation  under  heaven,  our  Lord 
distinctly  contemplates,  in  our  text,  an  indefinite 
increase  of  believers,  and  prays,  in  the  same  terms, 
that,  under  the  circumstances  of  that  increase, 
tliey  may  still  be  one.    "  Neither  pray  I  for  these 
alone,  but  for  them  also  which  shall  believe  on 
me  through  their  word  ;  that  they  all  may  he  one  ; 
as  thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they 
aho  may  le  one  in  us."     An  intimation  of  the  nm\v.  of  tf)t 
rapid  and  extraordinary  (/row^/t  of  His  Church  He  Sgni^u^n 
had  already  given  in  the  parables  of  the  Mustard-  parable 
seed  and  the  Draw-net.     The  tiny  mustard-seed  ■Jjijrfaj!''" 
was  to  become  a  tree,  so  that  the  birds  of  the 
air  should  come  and  lodge  in  the  branches  thereof. 
The  draw-net,  empty  at  first,  was  ultimately  to 
gather  of  every  kind.     But  in  both  these  figures 
of  the  extension  of  the  Church,  the  idea  of  her 
unity  is  cai\;fully  preserved.     The  mustard-tree, 
however  many  branches  it  may  have,  is  one  tree, 
developed  out  of  one  seed.     The  draw-net,  how- 
ever  many    meshes   it   may   have,   is   but   one 
net. 


6S  The  Unity  of  the  CJmrch,       [chap. 

Suh'^'^'^       More  tlian  this.      It  would  appear  from  the 
ifsisnct  fo     words  which  stand  at  the  head  of  this  Chapter 

oe  an  mstru-  .  .        ,        ,      .  n  r  ^ 

tntntinitc     that  the  great  instrument,  m  the  design  of  Christ, 

ronfacrston  of  ^  .  ^ 

Hjetooriu.  lor  the  Conversion  of  the  world,  was  not  so  much 
the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  as  the  spectacle  of  a 
Church  united  in  the  Truth ;  "  that  they  also  may- 
be one  in  us  :  that  the  vjorld  may  believe  that  thou 
hast  sent  me."  The  perfect  union  and  love  sub- 
sisting among  believers  was  to  be  a  standing 
moral  miracle  for  the  conviction  and  conversion 
of  the  sceptic,  even  when  natural  miracles  had 
passed  away. 

Such,  then,  was  the  ideal  in  the  Founder's 
mind  and  intentions,  of  what  the  Community 
which  was  to  take  its  name  from  Him  should 
be ;  the  Christian  Church  was  to  be  a  thoroughly 
united  body,  "  perfectly  joined  together  in  the 
same  mind  and  in  tlie  same  judgment,"  even  as 
the  Persons  of  the  Blessed  Trinity  are — co-ope- 
rating, moreover,  as  those  Persons  do,  for  the 
same  great  ends  of  God's  glory  and  man's  salva- 
tion. But  in  the  lapse  of  time  it  is  a  common 
thing  for  institutions  to  depart  far  away  from  the 
jBeparfurrnf  mind  and  intention  of  their  founders.  And  the 
from  the  Christian  Church  has  been  guilty,  more  than  al- 
itoi"  "*  most  any  other  institution,  of  this  departure  from 
its  original  idea.  Sanctity  may  be  seen  here  and 
there  in  all  parts  of  it;  the  Sacraments  are  all 
but  universally  retained,  and  are  everywhere 
salient  features  of  the  Christian  Eeligion;  the 
Gospel  is  preached  in  every  community  of  pro- 
fessing Christians,  with  more  or  less  fidelity  to  the 
original  message ;  the  Scriptures  are  spread  in  all 


III.]  and  its  disruption.  69 

parts.  But  of  whatever  treasures  it  may  be  the 
depository,  of  whatever  mercies  it  may  have  been 
the  instrument  to  mankind,  the  Churcli  has  not 
retained  in  any  sort  or  shape  the  feature  of  unity ; 
it  does  not  present,  and  it  has  not  for  many  cen- 
turies presented,  one  front  to  the  unbelieving 
world.  This  want  of  union  among  Christian 
churches,  and  even  among  different  theological 
schools  of  the  same  Communion,  would,  as  I  said, 
if  we  had  not  been  inured  to  the  spectacle  of  it 
from  our  earliest  days,  create  in  us  a  painful  re- 
vulsion of  feeling.  Jews  are  a  far  more  united 
body,  Mahometans  (to  our  burning  shame  be  it 
said)  are  a  far  more  united  body,  than  Christians. 

How   came    about    this   lamentable    state   of  Origin  of  tijt 
things  ?     To  omit  all  minor  separations  from  the  ""^"'"^" 
Christian  body,  there  was  in  the  first  place  the 
great  schism  between  the  East  and   the  West,  jrfit  Brfiism 
which,  after  being  threatened  and  more  or  less  ensunj''^^ 
canied  into  effect  long  before,  was  finally  con-  ^^^*' 
summated  in  A.D.  1 054.    Its  origin  was  a  difference 
of  opinion   on   the  question  whether  the  Holy 
Ghost  proceeded  only  from  the  First,  or  also  from 
the  Second  Person  of  the  Trinity,  a  question  which, 
probably,  is  as  much  philosophical  as  theological,  its  grountis. 
This,  and  some  other  perfectly  trifling  and  purely  Ullilrr?''^' 
ceremonial  differences  (such  as  a  variety  in  the  '"''"'^'' 
time  of  keeping  Easter,  and  the  usage  of  leavened 
bread  in  the  Communion  by  one  party,  of  un- 
leavened by  another),  first  set  up  an  alienation, 
the  hostility,  rivalry,  and   anathemas  of  which 
are  not  yet  extinct. 

Then  came  the  schism  at  the  Reformation,  in 


70  The  Unity  of  the  Chuixh,       [chap. 

jrjjeBrfjiBm    wliicli  tlie  Eeformed  Communions  had  to  allege, 
maUonfan^    in  justification  of  the  step  taken  by  them,  the 
^^e^grounus    grievous  Corruptions,  both  in  faith  and  practice, 
of  the  mediaeval  Church,  the  unscriptural  terms 
of  communion  insisted  on  by  Eome,  and  the  ab- 
solute refusal  (in  most  countries)  of  the  Bishops 
to   consecrate   those  who    did   not   accept   such 
sdii^m        terms.     And  if,  after  their  separation  on  these 
ifciSrmcti      grounds,  the  reformed  Churches  could  have  shown 
cburctcs.      ^^^  unbroken  and  undivided  front  among  them- 
selves, it  would  have  been  much  in  their  favour, 
and  would  have  been  an  undeniable  token  that 
God  was  with  them ;  but  alas  !  the  case  was  the 
a-cntiencjj  of  very  reverse.     Formal  schism,  once  engendered, 
jSSau      is  sure  to  put  forth,  like  the  Hydra,  a  hundred 
its4f.  heads.     Protestantism,  so  far  from  being  a  bond 

of  union  among  Protestants,  is  simply  a  negative 
denomination,  which  shows  the  person  claiming 
it  to  be  not  a  Eoman  Catholic,  or,  in  other  words, 
not  to  hold  with  the  abuses  and  corruptions  of 
tlie  mediceval  Church ;  but  it  pledges  him  to 
nothing  positive ;  and  members  of  our  own  Com- 
munion are  comprehended  under  the  name  of 
Protestants  with  a  number  of  other  sects,  with 
some  of  whom  they  have  nothing,  or  scarcely 
anything,  in  common,  either  in  doctrine  or  dis- 
cipline ; — with  Socinians,  for  example,  and  Uni- 
Dratoiiaciis  tariaus,  and  Mormons.  We  owe  a  deep  debt 
iifcrmation.  ^0  the  Ptcformation ;  and  we  should  be  deeply 
thankful  to  Almighty  God  for  the  share  in  its 
blessings  which  He  has  allowed  to  the  Church 
of  England ;  but  its  blessings  were  all  on  the  side 
of  truth,  not  on  the  side  of  unity ;  and  its  whole 


III.]  and  its  disruption.  7 1 

tendency  lias  been  towards  disintegration  and  the 
multiplying  of  schisms. 

But  I  seem  to  hear  some  of  my  readers  say-  confuaion  of 
ing  that  the  unity  of  the  Church  of  Christ  is  itocmtii/ 
spiritual,  and  in  no  sense  visible  or  external ;  and  ciju'rVanD* 
that  therefore  these  lamentations  over  its  visible  InumoTof 
jind  external  ruptures  are  groundless,  and  based  °'"  *' 
upon  a  false  assumption.  You  are  thinking  that, 
however  much  Churches  and  theological  schools 
may  ostensibly  differ,  and  however  loudly  they 
may  anathematize  one  another,  all  devout  and 
good  Christians  in  the  several  Communions,  be 
they  Church  of  England  people,  or  Greeks,  or 
Eussians,  or  Quakers,  or  Baptists,  or  Eomanists, 
— aU  who  are,  not  influenced  merely,  but  led  by 
the  Spirit  of  God, — do  substantially  agree  in  the 
hidden  ground  of  the  heart,  rest  upon  the  same 
Saviour,  derive  support  and  comfort  from  the 
same  promises,  approach  the  same  Father  through 
the  same  Mediator,  are  animated  by  a  common 
hope  of  glory.  You  are  thinking,  I  dare  say,  that 
this  is  all  the  unity  which  Christ  ever  designed 
for  His  disciples  ;  and  that,  as  all  good  Christians 
all  over  the  world  are  knit  together  by  this  in- 
visible bond,  the  Founder's  ideal  has  not  been 
really  frustrated  or  broken.  If  this  is  your  view, 
)'0u  are  running  away  with  a  half  truth ;  and  half 
truths  not  unfrequently  prove,  if  insisted  upon 
without  reference  to  the  corresponding  half,  the 
most  mischievous  of  falsehoods.  It  is  true,  no 
doubt,  perfectly  true,  and  it  is  a  beautiful,  con- 
solatory, and  edifying  truth,  that  all  the  true  ser- 
vants of  God  have  this  unity  of  the  Spirit,  this 


72  The  Unity  of  the  Church,      [chap. 

community  of  hopes,  interests,  and  prayers,  for 
wliich  you  give  them  credit ;  nay,  it  is  a  truth  so 
important  that  it  forms  an  article  of  the  Faith ;  for 
what  else  than  this  spiritual  union  is  meant  by 
"  the  Communion  of  Saints,"  in  which  we  all  daily 
profess  our  belief  ?     But  what  was  St.  Paul's  view 
of  the  unity  which  was  intended  to  subsist  among 
Christians  ?      He   speaks  indeed  of  there  being 
"  one  SjDirit ;"  but  does  he  speak  of  nothing  else  ? 
rrposrt  \-a     These  are  his  words  :  "  There  is  one  hody,  and  one 
tttapostir.    Spirit,  even  as  ye   are   called  in   one   hope   of 
your  calling," — not  "  one  Spirit "  only,  knitting 
together  the   elect    in    one   hidden   communion 
and  fellowship,  but  "  one  body  "  also ;  yea,  one 
body  primarily   and  in  the   first  instance;   for 
the  body  (or  community)  of  Christ's   disciples 
antibnan     existed,  before  the  Spirit  came  down  at  Pente- 
SrntonTrom    cost  to  inhabit  and  organize  it,  just  as  the  body 
jE  0  2.       ^^  Adam  was  first  framed,  before  the  breath  of 
life  was  inbreathed  into   his  nostrils.      Now  a 
body,  observe,  is  something  visible  and  external, 
something  which  may  be  handled  and  seen,  some- 
thing which  has  locality, — which  takes  up  a  de- 
finite room  in  space.     A  body,  and  the  life  which 
animates  it,  are  two  distinct  things,  not  to  be  con- 
founded.     And  what  St.  Paul  says  is,  not  only 
that  Christians,  however  separated  from  one  an- 
other by  tracts  of  time  and  space,  are  animated 
by  one  common  spiritual  life,  but  also  that  they 
all  belong  to  one  and  the  same  visible  society; 
"  There  is  one  body,  and  one  Spirit." 

We  have  seen,  then,  that  Christ  designed  unity — 


III.]  and  its  disriipiio?i.  y^) 

visible  unity — for  Lis  Church  ;  designed  that  Chris- 
tians all  over  the  world  should  have  one  profession 
of  Faitli,  one  Baptism,  one  Ministry,  as  well  as  one 
hope,  and  one  source  of  consolation  and  strength. 
And  we  have  also  seen  how  far  this  is  from  being 
the  case,  and  how  Christendom  is  broken  up  into 
a  hundred  different  sects,  many  of  them  actuated 
by  such  hostility  to  rival  sects,  that  to  kneel  down 
together  to  receive  the  one  Sacrament  of  the  Body 
and  Blood  of  Christ  would  be  for  both  an  im- 
possibility. Now  what,  under  these  circumstances, 
should  be  our  views  and  feelings,  and  conse- 
quently our  conduct  ?  Does  Holy  Scripture  leave  eie  guftance 
us  without  any  guidance,  in  view  of  the  sad  divi-  floiS  Scrip- 
sions  of  Christendom  ?  Or,  on  the  contrary,  does  picsrnt  dr-"''^ 
it  give  us  a  clue  as  to  our  sentiments  and  line  of  ofliiceVutct 
action,  in  the  midst  of  these  immense  and  per- 
plexing difficulties  ?  We  believe  that  it  does  the 
latter,  not  perhaps  ob\aously,  but  Ijy  implications, 
which  the  wise  and  thoughtful  student  will  not 
miss. 

Consider,  then,  what  occurred  under  the  old  cte  tstat- 
Dispensation,   in  respect   of    the    establishment  tifc^SracUtiab 
and  the  disruption  of  the  Israelitish  monarchy.  """^""S- 
Human  affairs,  we  know,  though  more  fluctuating 
and  variable  than  natural  phenomena,  are  on  the 
whole  governed  by  certain  fixed  laws,  which  yield 
a  similarity  of  results,  when  the  circumstances  are 
in  the  main  similar,  and  produce  what  the  philo- 
sopher calls  historical  cycles.     With  wonderful 
accuracy  the  fortunes  of  the  Jewish  monarchy 
have  been  reproduced  on  the  grander  arena  of 
the  Church  or  Kingdom  of  Christ.    Every  one  re- 


74  'The  Unity  of  the  Church,       [cHAr. 

members  the  story.    Originally,  the  Israelites  were 

never  intended  to  be  under  a  king  at  all.     They 

were  to  be  a  peculiar  people  in  many  respects, 

and  in  this  more  particularly,  that  the  unseen 

God  was  to  be  their  king,  who  should  issue  His 

commands  to  them  through  the  prophet  or  person 

at  the  head  of  the  nation  for  the  time  being. 

But  they  were  dissatisfied  with  this  arrangement ; 

and  their  dissatisfaction  seems  to  have  had  two 

m\)t  caitsta     grounds.     It  arose  first  from  the  mal-administra- 

a.^'ttic  mfe-"    tion  of  persons  in  authority.     When  the  pious 

niifrs,^  °       Samuel  was  growing  old,  his  sons  who  tried  causes 

for  him,  "  turned  aside  after  lucre,  and  took  bribes, 

and  perverted  judgment."     But  there  was  a  fault 

nnti  of  tijc      in  the  people  as  well  as  in  the  judges.     They  did 

'^^"^ ''         not  in  the  least  appreciate  tlie  wonderful  privilege 

of  having  God  for  their  king ;  they  desired  to  be 

put  on  a  level  with  other  nations  in  respect  of 

their  form  of  government.     The  unseen  made  a 

demand  upon  their  faith,  which  their  faith  was 

not  strong  enough  to  meet.     They  liked  to  look 

upon  the  pomp  and  insignia  of  royalty,  and  to 

have  an  embodiment  of  it  in  their  midst ;  "  Nay ; 

but  we  will  have  a  king  over  us;  that  we  also 

may  be  like  all  the  nations ;  and  that  our  king 

may  judge  us,  and  go  out  before  us,  and  light  our 

pjobj  tiie       battles." — Now,  it  is  certainly  a  very  ol  )servable 

i^nb/  op"vnfrti  f^ct  that  the  more  recent  divisions  in  the  Christian 

sd!is?n'i"ti)c  Church  may  all  be  traced  up  to  the  attempt  (made 

ffiburci).        jj^  ^]^Q  arrogance  and  ambition  of  man's  natural 

heart)  to  establish  a  visible  monarchy  called  the 

Papacy.     As  Christ  had  founded  the  Cliurch,  He 

and  He  alone  was  to  be  her  Head, — the  chief 


III.]  and  its  disriiption.  75 

pastors  consecrated  by  the  Apostles  and  their  suc- 
cessors being  all  of  co-ordinate  authority,  and 
standing  all  of  them  in  much  the  same  relation 
to  the  Christian  Church  which  Samuel  held  to- 
wards the  Jewish.  But  ecclesiastical  ambition  in 
Church-rulers,  and  desire  among  Church-people  to 
walk  by  sight  rather  than  by  faith,  to  have  the 
chief  Church-ruler  a  great  monarch,  like  the 
monarchs  of  the  world,  robed  and  sceptred  and 
tiaraed,  and  installed  in  a  palace,  and  surrounded 
by  soldiers,  to  have  a  visible  representative  of  the 
King  in  His  resurrection  beauty  (oh,  what  a 
lowering  of  the  great  idea,  to  imagine  that  any 
earthly  ruler  can  represent  Him  !) — this  it  was 
which  struck  the  note  of  discord  and  faction  in  the 
Church,  and  prTjpared  the  way  for  secession,  or, 
in  other  words,  for  revolt  against  the  usurpation 
of  the  throne  of  Jesus. 

But  the  erection  of  a  monarchy  in  Israel  is  by 
no  means  the  only  point  in  Israel's  history  typical 
of  the  fortunes  of  the  Christian  Church.     The 
monarchy  having  been  established  (although  no 
such  arrangement  was  in  God's  original  design, 
and  although  the  request  for  it  in  the  first  instance 
called  down  His  anger),  received   His  gracious 
sanction.     He  did  not  leave  His  people,  but  dealt 
with  them  under  the  forms  of  monarchy  as  He 
had  dealt  with  them  under  the  forms  of  theocracy. 
But  there  soon  appeared  (such  is  the  perversity  a  sfconu  nis- 
of  man's  heart)  another  disturbance  of  the  plan  of  ©oa's  plan 
government.     There  was  one  grand  ideal  of  the  sofarrnnunt 
Jewish  monarchy,  formed  in  the  Divine  mind,  pcopu, 
and  developed  and  divulg(id  in  due  season ;  the 


.  76  The  Unity  of  the  Church,      [chap. 

centre  of  it  was  to  be  the  throne  of  David,  august 
beyond  all  thrones,  because  on  it  Messiah,  the 
desire  of  all  nations,  was  in  course  of  time  to  sit. 
Every  true  Israelite  owed  allegiance  and  homage 
to  this  throne,  if  it  were  only  that  the  national 
hopes  and  the  national  glory  were  all  bound  up 
in  its  future  occupant.  In  the  darkest  days  of 
political  depression,  this  one  throne  of  David  was 
designed  to  be  the  pole-star  and  rallying  point  of 
Israel.  But  alas  !  the  unity  of  David's  throne 
hv  tfif  schism  was  to  be  the  boast  of  the  nation  only  for  a  very 
iTviijcs,  short  time.  Solomon's  degeneracy  from  the  faith 
and  worship  of  his  father  called  down  upon  him 
the  chastisement  of  Heaven ;  and  Jeroboam  was 
raised  up,  in  the  providence  of  God,  to  divide  the 
empire,  and  to  rule  over  a  numerical  majority  of 
its  subjects.  An  opportunity,  indeed,  was  offered 
of  averting  the  schism,  and  retaining  the  allegi- 
ance of  the  Ten  Tribes,  as  well  as  of  Judah  and 
fa^itti  tnig!)t  Benjamin.  If  Eehoboam  had  been  guided  by  the 
aijcrtrtbga    counscl  of  the  older  courtiers,  and  had  announced 

CDnciliatotn 

poitcg  on  iljc  a  conciliatory  policy  as  the  basis  of  his  adminis- 
ixctoioam.  tration,  the  people,  who  only  asked  for  the  allevia- 
tion of  his  yoke,  and  probably  were  animated  by 
no  hostility  to  his  person,  would  have  been  his 
"  servants  for  ever."  But  his  reply  to  their  petition, 
suggested  by  the  younger  courtiers,  was  insolent 
and  arrogant  in  the  extreme,  and  could  not  fail  to 
alienate  the  petitioners.  He  was  their  lawful 
master,  he  told  them,  and  he  meant  to  show  it. 
"  My  father,"  said  he  in  an  evil  hour  for  the  in- 
tegrity of  his  empire,  "made  your  yoke  heavy, 
and  I  will  add  to  your  yoke:    my  father  also 


III.]  and  its  disruption.  77 

chastised  you  with  whips,  hut  I  will  chastise  you 
with  scorpions  "  (scourges  with  metal  points  in- 
serted into  tlieir  lashes,  to  make  them  sting  more 
severely).  This  most  wrong-headed  and  unfeeling 
answer  to  a  petition,  urged  (it  would  appear) 
quietly,  and  without  any  threats,  led  immediately 
to  the  secession  of  all  but  the  two  tribes  more 
immediately  connected  with  the  royal  family.  The 
heir  of  David,  indeed,  reigned  still  over  these  two 
tribes ;  and  his  metropolis  was  that  of  the  Church 
as  well  as  of  the  State  of  Israel ;  but  the  glory  of 
his  empire  was  greatly  diminished,  and  the  num- 
bers who  paid  homage  to  it  were  miserably  re- 
duced. And  it  must  be  remarked,  as  a  most  arfic  secession 
essential  feature  of  the  case,  that,  under  the  cir-  oib^n? 
cumstances,  the  secession  received  the  Divine  ^""'"'"' 
sanction,  and  that  its  throne,  had  its  occupant 
only  remained  in  allegiance  to  the  Invisible  Sove- 
reign, would  have  been  by  Him  maintained  and 
upheld.  For  thus  spake  the  prophet  Ahijah,  in 
God's  name,  to  Jeroboam  :  "  Thou  shalt  reign  ac- 
cording to  all  that  thy  soul  desireth,  and  shall  be 
king  over  Israel.  And  it  shall  be,  if  thou  wilt 
hearken  unto  aU  that  I  command  thee,  and  wilt 
walk  in  my  ways,  and  do  that  is  right  in  my 
sight  ...  as  David  my  servant  did ;  that  I  will 
be  with  thee,  and  build  thee  a  sure  house,  as  I 
built  for  David,  and  will  give  Israel  unto  thee." 
Jeroboam,  indeed,  did  not  comply  with  this  con- 
dition of  faithful  allegiance  to  the  Divine  Sove- 
reign ;  and  accordingly  his  house,  so  far  from  being 
sure,  was  entirely  extirpated  by  Baasha,  who 
commenced   a   new   dynasty.     And   thenceforth 


78 


The  Unity  of  the  Chtcrch,       [chap. 


nn^  tf)c  BEcrt- 
ing  tribes, 
tfarn  in  tljcir 
lotocst  moral 
contjition, 
rcccifacl]  tf)e 
recognition 
of  gimiflfjtg 
<SoD. 


3tafa  of  i\t 
Bitiine  aU- 
ministration 
tobicb  (Eol's 
sanction, 
iirst  of  tfie 
iHonarrfiD, 
anU  tijcn'bf 
ll)c  Schism, 
riljibits. 


unsettling  dynastic  changes,  and  violent  trans- 
fers of  tlie  sovereignty  into  other  hands,  became 
common  things  in  the  kingdom  of  the  Ten  Tribes. 
But  that,  even  when  their  moral  and  spiritual 
character  was  at  its  lowest  ebb,  and  their  sovereign 
had  entirely  ceased  to  regard  himself  in  his  true 
character  as  God's  delegate  and  viceroy,  God  did 
not  forsake,  but  still  recognised  them,  is  clearly 
shown  by  the  fact,  that  in  the  reign  of  Ahab  and 
Jezebel,  the  prophet  Elijah,  the  representative  of 
all  the  prophets,  and  in  deed,  if  not  in  word,  the 
mightiest  of  all  of  them,  appeared  in  their  midst, 
and  was  succeeded  by  the  prophet  Elisha,  whose 
career  was  hardly  less  marvellous,  and  whose 
Divine  mission  was  even  more  strongly  attested 
by  miracle  than  that  of  Elijah.  The  throne  of 
the  Ten  Tribes  was  a  schismatical  throne ;  and 
the  names  of  its  occupants  have  no  place  in  the 
august  line  of  succession  from  David  to  Christ ; 
yet,  though  it  was  a  departure  from  the  primitive 
ideal  and  constitution  of  the  monarchy,  it  was 
expressly  and  solemnly  sanctioned  by  God,  who, 
in  His  wise  providence,  made  it  the  instrument 
of  chastising  and  humbling  the  Davidical  family. 
The  whole  narrative  exhibits  a  great  law  of  the 
Divine  administration,  which  is,  that  v:licn  a 
•primitive  ideal  is  Jiojyelcssly  frustrated,  and  the 
first  hest  thing  made  impracticaUe  ly  human  sin 
and  perverseness,  God  introduces  a  second  hest 
tiling,  and  endoivs  it  with  (at  all  events)  a  tem- 
porary sanction.  That  second  best  thing  is  not 
constituted  according  to  the  original  design ; 
the  unruly  wills   and   affections   of  sinful  men 


III.]  and  its  disruption.  79 

have  prevented  its  being  so ;  but  its  constitution 
seems  taken  up  into  the  grand,  comprehensive 
scheme  of  Divine  providence,  and  made  "to 
work  together  for  good  "  to  those  who  live  under 
it. 

Xow,  this  Old  Testament  narrative  offers  at  application 

„  1      .  -1  1     1        -i.       of  ti3cnarta- 

once  lessons  of  consolation,  guidance,  and  chanty,  tiuc  to  tije 
under  the  miserable  divisions  of  the  Church  of  cijurrfi,  in 

1,  its  prfBcnt 

Christ.  ijiSjiOca  Biaw. 

The   Church   has    det)arted   widely   from   the 
primitive  ideal  traced  out  for  it,  and  the  primi- 
tive constitution  given  to  it,  by  its  Founder.    The  crfieitjtai  of 
ideal  was,  that  Christians,  however  remotely  sepa-  anuita 
i-ated  by  tracts  of  space,  should  all  be  one  by  Mlfguuition, 
adherence  to  one  Faith,  and  to  one  visible  Society, 
organized  at  Pentecost,  and  called  the  Apostles' 
Fellowship ;  that  this  community  should  embrace 
and  fuse  together  all  races  and  conditions  of  men, 
Jew  and  Greek,  barbarian,  Scythian,  bond  and 
free.     The  constitution  was,  that  Apostles  should 
appoint  and  consecrate  (as  we  know  they  did  ap- 
point and  consecrate)  bishops  to  succeed  them  in 
all  such  parts  of  their  office  as  were  transmissible, 
and  that  these  bishops  should  appoint  others,  so 
continuing  down  to  the  last  day  the  commissioned 
line,  to  which  the  Lord  had  said,  "  Lo,  I  am  with 
you   alway,  even  unto  the   end  of  the  world." 
But  the  ideal  was  shattered  by  the  schism  of  the  gjjattfTcu  bp. 
Greeks   and   Latins,  which   was   established   on  an/boX' 
either  side  by  mutual  anathemas.     And  the  con-  of°^to°''°" 
stitution  was  shattered  at  the  Eeformation,  when  '"""^'"^'*''' 
the   Protestant  sects,   full   of  zeal  (as  we  have 


8o 


The  Unity  of  the  Church,      [chap. 


©ur  iuto 
unUcr  tijcse 
circum- 
stances : 
1.  ^a  rfcog- 
niSE  sin  in 
tijt  enjurcJ) 
ns  tl)c  source 
of  gcijism. 


3Cf)e  Bin  in 
our  ofan 
Communion 
totiici)  Icfi  to 
bisacnt. 


admitted)  for  God's  Truth,  organized  their  own 
ministries,  on  platforms  altogether  different  from 
"the  Apostles'  fellowship."  Now,  under  these 
most  unhappy  circumstances,  what  is  to  be  felt 
and  done  ? 

First ;  sin  in  the  Church  must  be  duly  recog- 
nised, and,  in  our  prayers  to  God  for  unity,  ac- 
knowledged as  the  origin  of  schism.  It  was  partly 
Solomon's  lapse  into  idolatry,  and  partly  Eeho- 
boam's  intolerable  arrogance,  which  brought  about 
the  secession  of  the  Ten  Tribes.  And  it  was  partly 
the  deep  degeneracy  of  the  mediaeval  Church,  its 
corruptions  in  faith  and  practice,  its  saint- worship, 
its  image-worship,  its  relic-worship,  its  trafficked 
indulgences ;  partly  the  insolent  and  arrogant  pre- 
tensions of  the  Bishop  of  Eome,  who  claimed 
lordship  over  God's  heritage,  and  forgot  that  he 
■was  set  to  be  a  pattern  to  the  flock, — which  alien- 
ated Continental  Protestants  from  the  Apostles' 
Fellowship,  and  placed  a  vast  numerical  propor- 
tion of  the  sheep  of  Christ  under  other  and  irre- 
gularly constituted  ministries.  And  in  our  own 
Communion,  some  half-century  ago,  it  was  the 
secularity  of  the  clergy,  their  pluralities  and  their 
sinecures,  the  active  opposition  which  many  of 
them  offered  to  anything  like  earnest  spiritual 
life,  their  sneers  at  what  was  good  in  Methodism, 
and  their  persistent  standing  upon  their  rights, 
rather  than  upon  the  conscientious  fulfilment  of 
their  pastoral  duties,  which  raised  up  in  many  a 
parish  a  meeting-house,  and  organized  a  schism, 
the  heart-burnings  of  which  are  not  yet  extinct, 
though  the  original  fomenting  cause  of  it — indif- 


III.]  and  its  disruption,  8 1 

ferencc  and  neglect  in  tlie  lawful  pastor — has  long 
ago  subsided. 

Secondly ;   the   present   divided   state   of  the  2.  cto  recoo- 
Church  is  in  the  nature  of  a  punishment;  just  as  tiiuigions as 
the  rending  away  of  the  Ten  Tribes  from  the  house  ibcir  dja- 
of  David  was  the  divinely  inflicted  penalty  of  tumtU  our- 
feoJomon  s  apostasy,  and  was  announced  as  such,  inflig, 
before  it  w^as  brought  about  by  the  unruly  wills 
and  affections  of  sinful  men.     I  ask  particular 
attention  to  this  point,  because  it  seems  to  me  to 
be  generally  overlooked.     There  is  a  considerable 
movement  in  our  Church  just  now  towards  union 
with  foreign  Churches ;  and  it  has  taken  strong 
hold  of  the  public  mind  that  the  isolation  of  the 
several  Communions  of  Christendom,  and  their 
standing  aloof  from  one  another,  is  what  ought 
not  to  be,  is  a  wrong  and  a  sin.     Be  it  so ;  but 
this  is  only  half  the  truth  \  it  is  cb  punishment 
also, — 'possibly,  as  regards  our  own  responsibility 
in  the  matter,  more  of  a  punishriicnt  than  of  a  sin. 
The  withdrawal  of  great  part  of  Christendom  from 
the  Apostles'  Fellowship,  the  divisions  and  dissen- 
sions  in  the  Fellowship  itself,  are  part  of  the 
chastisement  of  the  Church's  unfaithfulness.     It 
is  not  therefore  in  our  power  entirely  to  alter  the 
state  of  things.     That  state  must  continue,  until 
the  chastisement  has  done  its  work,  and   God 
removes  His  Hand.     I  do  not  say  that  we  must 
not  pray  and  strive  for  another  and  happier  con- 
dition of  affairs  ;  but  only  that  the  most  effectual  nnti  aboft 
mode  of  securing  the  happier  condition  would  be  irhidj  urcbj 
by  thoroughly  repenting  of  and  avoiding  the  sins  cbVtijscmjnt, 
that  called  down  the  chastisement, — superstitions, 


82  The  Unity  of  the  Church,       [chap. 

arrogance,  indolence,  unfaithfulness,  and  so  forth. 

It  was  ambition  in   Church-rulers,  and  leaning 

on  sense  rather  than  on  faith,  which  brought  the 

ambftfon,       Papacy  into  the  Church,     Let  Church-rulers  be 

ttetseg,"       ambitious  of  nothing  but  to  do  good;   let   the 

people  eschew  the  guidance  of  the  lust  of  the  eyes ; 

and  let  all  be  contented  with  simplicity  in  the 

externals  of  Eeligion. — It  was  a  question  of  forms 

and  ceremonies,  as  to  the  time  of  keeping  Easter, 

and  as  to  the  use  of  unleavened  bread,  which 

contributed  to  the  split  between  the  Eastern  and 

antrfije         Western  Church.     Let   modern  Churchmen  be- 

fmpJirtancc  fo  ware  how  they  attach  too  much  importance  to  the 

^'  question  of  the  vestment  or  the  posture  to  be 

used  in  the  celebration  of  the  Holy  Communion, 

lest  such  trifles  should  again  work  an  equally 

disastrous  result. — In  this  and  similar  ways  we 

shall  be  striking  at  the  root  of  the  evil  of  schism, 

and  so  really  promoting  the  unity  of  the  Church. 

ffiroBpect  of    But  the  actual  realization  of  this  unity,  very  much 

ffitriBttntiom,  like  the  cessation  of  war  in  the  w^orld,  is  in  its 

Kfe^^e^pro-    full  extent  a  millennial  prospect,  impossible  to  be 

Stionof    realized  under  the  present  condition  of  things. 

poMibie^'f     With  all  your  doing,  and  all  your  communications 

mm  tuman"  with  foreign  prelates,  and  all  your  proposals  for 

*^^^  adjustment  of  differences,  do  not  suppose  you  can 

do  very  much  in  the  matter  till  God  gives  the 

word,  and, 

"  Like  a  bell  with  solemn  sweet  vibrations, 
We  hear  once  more  the  voice  of  Christ  say,  '  Peace.'" 

Then,  and  not  till  then,  will  be  fulfilled  to  the 
spiritual  Israel  of  God,  the  Holy  Catholic  Church, 


III.]  audits  disruption.  83 

that  glorious  prophecy  which,  in  its  earliest  ap- 
plication, has  reference  no  doubt  to  the  Jewish 
people ;   "  I  will  make  them  one  nation  in  the  '^i/i^^'^'^' 

land ;  and  one  king  shall  he  king  to  them 

all :  and  they  shall  be  no  more  two  nations,  neither 
shall  they  be  divided  into  two  kingdoms  any  more 
at  all  .  .  .  and  David  my  servant  shall  be  king 
over  them;  and  they  all  shall  have  one  shep- 
herd." 

Thirdly  ;  let  us  never  omit  to  acknowledge  in  3.  Ntbct  to 
the  fullest  way  the  working  of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  hjot^ing  of 
schismatical  bodies.     Eemember  what  has  been  Gofin  scfjia- 
said  about  God's  extending  His  sanction  to  second  munions. 
best  things,  when   first   best  things   have   been 
rendered  impracticable  by  human  sin.     For  my 
own  part,  I  quite  believe  that  in  many  parishes, 
where  the  lawful  pastor  has  been  slothful,  or  even 
(alas  :)  scandalous  in  his  life  and  conversation,  the 
ministry   of   dissenters   has   been    God's   highly 
honoured  instrument   for  keeping  alive  in  that 
parish  the  sparks  of  His  Grace.     Do  not  imagine 
that,  in  saying  this,  I  yield  to  such  a  ministry 
any  right  or  truly  derived  authority  whatsoever. 
My  argument  does  not  in  the  least  require  such  a  jFuiifst 
concession.     I  w^ill  show  all  love  to  schismatics,  mcnuf  tVe 
and  most  readily  admit  that  many  of  them  God  ^^\^\\^t 
loves ;  but  I  will  show  them  no  liberalism ;  be-  mTcautVrna- 
cause  liberalism  is  always  found  to  mean  the  com-  mlni^^?"* 
promise  of  a  principle  for  the  sake  of  conciliating 
an  adversary.     I  will  compromise  no  principle, 
but  on  the  contrary,  proclaim  my  principles  on 
the  house-top.     There  is,  and  can  be,  no  real  and 
true  Church  apart  from  the  one  Society  which  the 


84  The  Unity  of  the  Church,      [chap. 

Apostles  founded,  and  wliich  lias  been  propagated 
only  in   the   line  of  the   Episcopal   Succession. 
There  is  no  regular  authority  or  right  for  the 
ministry  whatsoever,  but  only  in  this  one  line. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  there  have  been  many 
great  saints,  and  many  great  teachers,  eminent  for 
learning  and  piety,  not  at  all  connected  with  this 
ffio^  tiocs  not  line.     God  has  a  regular  channel  in  which  His 
graces  anD     graces  Ordinarily  run ;  but  I  do  not  find  that  He 
ae  cijannci  of  limits   either   His  gifts   or   His    graces   to   that 
appowitntrnt.  channel.     There  was  no  saint,  and  no  prophet, 
among  the  subjects  of  David's  kingdom,  so  illus- 
trious as  were  Elijah  and  Elisha  in  the  kingdom 
of  the  Ten  Tribes.    And  there  have  been  at  various 
times  among  Nonconformists  splendid  instances, 
not  only  of  a  spiritual  walk,  but  of  spiritual  power 
for  good  over  others,  such  as  have  never  been  sur- 
passed, perhaps  in  some  instances  never  equalled, 
in  the   Church.     Probably,  in  his  own  peculiar 
line  of  argumentative  eloquence,  no  minister  of 
our  own  Church,  be  he  bishop,  priest,  or  deacon, 
has  ever  excelled  Eobert  Hall,  the  Baptist  minis- 
ter, as  a  sacred  orator.      Horsley  probably  ex- 
ceeded him  in  learning,  but  surely  was  exceeded 
by  him  in  the  oratorical  gift. 
criiE  iinitD  of      In  conclusion ;  we  shall  not  leave  this  subject 
be^sucnor '°  witliout  deriving  some  profit  from  it,  if  we  are 
plagc"/^'      led  by  what  has  been  said  to  make  the  unity  of 
the  Church  in  the  avowal  of  the  Truth  a  subject 
of  much  more  real  hearty  prayer  than  we  have 
hitherto  done.     And  we  cannot  do  this  in  words 
more  exactly  to  the  point  than  those  with  which 
our   Church   supplies   us — "  Beseeching   thee  to 


III.]  Catechism.  85 

inspire  continually  the  universal  Church  with  the  cht  tfuariirt 
spirit  of  truth,  unity,  and  concord  :   And  grant,  bhirb  our 
that  all  they   that  do  confess   thy  holy  Name  uarfics  us"to 
may  agree  in  the  truth  of  thy  holy  Word,  and ''"'' 
live  in  unity  and  godly  love ;"  or,  as  it  is  ex- 
pressed in  the  Daily  Office ;   "  We  pray  for  the 
good  estate  of  the  Catholick  Church :  that  it  may 
be  so  guided  and  governed  by  thy  good  Spirit, 
that  all  who  profess  and  call  themselves  Chris- 
tians may  be  led  into  the  way  of  truth,  and  hold 
the  faith  in  unity  of  spirit,  in  the  bond  of  peace, 
and  in  righteousness  of  life." 


Catcrht0m  xrn  Clhap-.  IE£ 

1.  Question. — How  do  ^Ye  know  that  the  unity  of  the 

Church  is  an  object  very  near  to  the  heart  of  its 
Divine  Founder? 
Answer. — Because  this  was  one  of  the  things  which 
He  petitioned  for  on  the  night  before  His  death,  in  the 
prayer  which  is  called  the  great  High-priestly  Prayer. 
The  words  are  "  Holy  Father,  keep  through  thine  own 
name"  (in  the  original  Greek  the  words  are,  "  in  thine 
own  name,"  that  is,  in  the  acknowledgment  of  it) 
"  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me,  that  they  may  be 
one,  as  we  are"  (St.  John  xvii.  11). 

2.  Question. — What  then  ought  to  be  the  intimacy  of 
the  union  subsisting  between  members  of  the 
Church  ? 

Answer. — Their  union  ought  to  be  as  intimate  as  that 
subsisting  between  the  Persons  of  the  Blessed  Trinity  ; 
for  our  Lord  prays  that  His  disciples  may  be  as  entirely 
one  as  Himself  and  His  Father  are. 

3.  Catechist. — But  possibly,  when  He  so  prayed,  He 
meant  by  "  those  whom  the  Father  had  given  Him," 


86  Catechism.  [chap. 

only  that  little  flock  of  disciples  who  ■were  with 
Him  at  the  time  — in  short,  tlie  holy  Apostles  ? 
Answer. — No  ;  in  another  part  of  this  prayer  He 
shows  that  He  means  others  besides  the  Apostles,  and 
that  He  wishes  all,  who  are  brought  to  believe  on  Him, 
to  be  one.  "  Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone,  but  for 
them  also  which  shall  believe  on  me  through  their  word  ; 
that  they  all  may  be  one  ;  as  thou.  Father,  art  in  me, 
and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us  :  that 
the  world  may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me"  (St.  John 
xvii.  20,  21). 

4,  Question. — But  can  our  Lord  really  have  meant 
that,  when  the  Church  became  very  large,  so  large 
as  to  embrace  all  the  most  civilized  nations  upon 
earth,  it  was  still  to  be  one  ? 
Answer. — Certainly.      For   He  foretold  this  extra- 
ordinary growth  of  His  Church  in  the  Parables  of  the 
Mustard-seed  and  the  Draw-net ;  and  yet  at  the  same 
time  He  did  not  speak  of  more  than  one  tree  or  more 
than  one  net.     (See  St.  Matt.  xiii.  31,  32,  47,  48.) 

6.  Question. — What  effect  did  Christ  design  that  the 
unity  of  His  Church  should  have  upon  the  world  ? 
A7isiver. — The  same  effect  as  His  miracles,  which 
were  designed  to  make  men  believe  in  Him  as  God's 
great  Ambassador  to  a  sinful  world.  In  the  verse  last 
quoted  He  prays  *'  that  they  also"  (all  who  should 
believe  in  Him  on  the  testimony  of  the  Apostles)  "  may 
be  one  in  us :  that  the  laorld  may  believe  that  thou  hast 
sent  me."  And  indeed  it  would  be  a  moral  miracle,  if, 
with  all  the  tendencies  to  disunion  in  the  heart  of  man, 
people  of  different  races,  climates,  and  manners  were 
all  held  together  in  the  bond  of  one  society. 

6.  Catechist. — You  have  traced  Christ's  plan  for  His 
Church  ;  that  all  Christians,  however  numerous, 
should  be  one  ;  that  their  union  should  be  as  inti- 
mate as  that  of  the  Persons  in  the  Blessed  Trinity  ; 
and  that  this  union  should  be  God's  great  instru- 
ment for  converting  the  world  to  the  Faith.     From 


III.]  Catechism.  Sy 

what  we  see  around  us,  does  this  plan  seem  to 

have  taken  effect? 
Ansirer. — No  ;  Christ's  grand  design  seems  to  have 
been  frustrated  by  man's  sin.  The  modern  Cimrch 
still  has  many  features  which  remind  us  of  the  Church 
which  Christ  founded ;  it  has  the  Scriptures,  and 
Preaching,  and  the  Sacraments  ;  but  unity  is  a  feature 
which  it  has  lost  entirely.  The  Church  is  split  up  into 
many  different  Communions,  wliich  are  so  alienated 
from  one  another,  that  the  members  of  one  would  not 
partake  of  the  Holy  Supper  of  the  Lord  at  the  altar  of 
another  Communion. 

7.  Question. — When  did  the  first  considerable  rupture 
of  the  Christian  Body  take  place  ? 

Answer. — In  a.d.  10G4,  when  Pope  Leo  the  Ninth, 
Bishop  of  Rome,  sent  legates  to  Constantinople,  who 
excommunicated  Michael  Cerularius,  Patriarch  of  Con- 
stantinople, and  all  his  adherents.  These  legates, 
when  the  claims  which  they  advanced  on  behalf  of  the 
Pope  were  indignantly  repudiated,  laid  the  act  of 
excommunication  on  the  altar  of  the  great  Church  of 
St.  Sophia,  shook  off"  the  dust  from  their  feet,  and 
departed.  But  the  disputes  which  terminated  in  this 
final  rupture  had  been  going  on  for  nearly  two  hundred 
years ;  and  indeed  the  political  division  of  the  Roman 
Empire  into  two  parts,  under  two  diff"erent  Emperors 
(as  early  as  the  year  a.d.  395),  had  prepared  the  way 
for  the  ecclesiastical  rupture,  which  did  not  take  place 
for  upwards  of  six  centuries  afterwards. 

8.  Question. — What  is  the  great  doctrinal  diff"erence 
between  the  Eastern  and  Western  Church  ? 

Answer. — The  Eastern  Church  maintains  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  proceeds  only  from  the  Father ;  while  the 
Western  Church  holds  that  He  proceeds  from  the  Father 
and  the  Son. 

9.  Question. — What  is   the   truth   on   this   disputed 
point? 

Answer. — Probably  both  parties  in  the  original  dis- 


88  Catechism.  [chap. 

pute  had  some  amount  of  truth  in  their  views,  but 
would  not  acknowledge  candidly  the  truth  which  there 
was  in  the  views  of  their  opponents.  The  Greeks  were 
doubtless  right  in  supposing  that  there  was  only  One 
Fountain-head  of  Deity,  from  "Which  issued  forth, 
before  Time  began,  the  two  other  Divine  Persons  ;  for 
this  is  implied  in  the  doctrine,  so  constantly  incul- 
cated in  Holy  Scripture,  that  there  is  but  one  God. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  Western  Church  was  clearly 
right  in  maintaining  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  sent  to  us 
by  the  risen  and  ascended  Saviour,  and  in  this  sense 
proceeds  from  Him  also  ;  for  He  Himself  says,  in  St. 
John  XV.  26,  "  But  when  the  Comforter  is  come,  whom 
/  will  send  unto  yoio  from  the  Father,  even  the  Spirit 
of  truth,  which  proceedeth  from  the  Father,  he  shall 
testify  of  me."  And  again,  St.  John  xvi.  7;  "It  is 
expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away  :  for  if  I  go  not  away, 
the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto  you  ;  but  if  I  depart, 
I  will  send  Mm  unto  you."  But  whichever  party  was 
in  the  right  in  this  dispute,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
the  addition  of  the  words  "  and  the  Son"  to  the  Nicene 
Creed,  without  the  authority  of  a  General  Council,  was 
exceedingly  wrong.  This  insertion  was  made  at  the 
Council  of  Toledo,  by  the  authority  of  Pope  Leo  the 
First,  about  the  year  447  ;  but  it  was  not  received  even 
by  the  Westei-n  Church  till  some  ages  afterwards ;  and 
Pope  Leo  iii.,  while  he  acknowledged  the  truth  of  the 
doctrine,  objected  at  the  Council  of  Aix  (a.d.  809)  to 
its  being  made  an  article  of  Faith. 

10.  Question. — What  were  the  ceremonial  differences 
which  separated  the  two  Churches? 

Answer. — The  Eastern  Church  held  that  the  bread 
used  at  the  Holy  Communion  should  be  leavened ; 
the  Western  Church  that  it  should  be  unleavened. 
Besides  this,  they  differed  as  to  the  time  of  keeping 
Easter. 

11.  Question. — What  was  the  next  considerable  schism 
in  the  Church  ? 

Answer. — It  was  that  which  took  place  at  the  Re- 


III.]  Catechism.  89 

formation,  when  the  Reformed  Communions  shook  off 
the  yoke  of  the  Papal  supremacy, 

12.  Qtiestion. — What  led  them  to  do  this  ? 

Answer. — The  grievous  corruptions,  both  in  faith  and 
practice,  of  the  Church  of  the  Middle  Ages,  which 
were  condemned  by  the  Holy  Scriptures, — then,  for  the 
first  time,  freely  circulated  among  the  people.  Had 
they  not  shaken  off  these  corruptions,  they  would  have 
been  unfaithful  to  the  guidance  of  God's  written 
Word. 

13.  Question. — But  did  the  different  Reformed  Com- 
munions unite  and  form  one  body  ? 

Answer. — They  seem  to  have  made  no  effort  to  do 
so ;  and  indeed  the  impulse  which  set  on  foot  the  Re- 
formation was  rather  centrifugal  than  centripetal — it 
was  a  movement  away  from,  and  not  towards,  a  centre 
of  unity.  For  the  leading  idea  of  the  movement  was 
the  making  a  bold  stand  for  God's  Truth ;  and  ac- 
cordingly all  the  blessings  of  the  Reformation  were  on 
the  side  of  truth,  not  on  the  side  of  unity. 

14.  Question. — But  is  there  not  among  all  good  Chris- 

tians, to  whatever  Communion  they  may  belong, — 

whether  they  belong  to  the  Roman  Catholic,  or 

Greek,  or  English  Church,  or  to  any  Dissenting 

body, — a  certain  unity  of  spirit,  which  makes  them 

all  one  in  sentiments  and  sympathies,  however 

much  they  differ  outwardly  ? 

Answer. — Doubtless  there  is.     All  true  Christians, 

of  whatever  Communion,  approach  the   same  Father 

through  the  same  Mediator,  and  under  the  influence  of 

the  same  Spirit ;  and  as  two  rays  of  a  circle  cannot 

draw  near  to  the  centre  without  also  drawing  near  to 

one  another,  so  two  souls  cannot  really  approach  the 

same  God  without  having  an  invisible  fellowship  with 

one  another. 

15.  Question. — Is  not  then  this  invisible  unity  all  the 
unity  which  Christ  solicited  for  His  Church  ? 
Why  should  we  seek  for  any  other  kind  of  unity? 

Answer. — Because  St.  Paul  tells  us,  in  Eph.  iv.  4, 


90  Catechism.  [chap. 

that  there  is  ''one  body"  as  well  as  "one  Spirit." 
Now,  though  a  spirit  is  something  inward  and  invisible, 
a  body  is  something  outward  and  visible,  something 
which  may  be  seen  and  touched,  and  the  whereabouts 
of  which  may  be  known. 

16.  GatecJiist. — But  some  persons  seem  to  be  of  opinion 
that,  when  St.  Paul  says  there  is  one  body  and  one 
Spirit,  he  is  only  repeating  the  same  truth  in  two 
different  forms.  Can  you  show  that  the  body  of 
the  Church  is  a  distinct  thing  from  the  Spirit 
which  animates  the  Church  ? 

AnsLcer. — Yes ;  Christ's  disciples  before  the  day  of 
Pentecost  formed  the  body  of  the  Church.  But  this 
body  was  not  fully  animated  by  the  living  Spirit  till  the 
Holy  Grhost  came  down  upon  them  at  Pentecost. 
Similarly,  Adam's  body  was  tirst  formed  of  the  dust  of 
the  ground,  before  the  Lord  God  breathed  into  his 
nostrils  the  breath  of  life,  by  which  inbreathing  he 
became  a  living  soul  (Gen.  ii.  7). 

17.  Catecliist. — You  have  said  that  the  Church  of 
Christ  ought  to  be,  and  was  intended  by  its 
Founder  to  be,  a  united  body ;  but  that,  in  fact, 
it  is  rent  asunder  by  many  and  grievous  divisions. 
Can  you  suggest  anything  at  all  parallel  to  this 
in  Holy  Scripture  ? 

Answer. — Yes  ;  there  is  something  parallel  to  it  in 
the  rupture  of  the  Israelitish  monarchy,  which  took 
place  under  King  Rehoboara,  between  the  Two  Tribes 
and  the  Ten, 

18.  Question. — Was  this  monarchy,  of  which  you  speak, 
a  part  of  God's  original  design  for  the  government 
of  His  people  ? 

Answer. — No ;  the  original  design  was  that  God 
himself  should  be  the  King  of  His  people,  issuing  His 
directions  and  commands  to  them  through  the  judge  or 
the  prophet,  who  might  be  raised  up  from  time  to  time 
as  His  medium  of  communication  with  them. 

19.  Question. — How  did  it  come  to  pass  that  this  plan 
failed  ? 


III.]  Catechism.  9 1 

Ansxcer. — Because  the  people  desired  to  walk  by  sight 
rather  than  by  faith,  and  to  have  under  their  eyes  a 
human  sovereign  surrounded  with  the  emblems  of 
royalty,  who  miglit  lead  them  out  to  battle  against  their 
enemies,  and  the  sight  of  whom  might  give  them  con- 
fidence, and  rally  them  when  they  were  defeated. 

20.  Question. — How  has  this  preference  of  an  earthly 
to  an  invisible  Sovereign  been  repeated  in  the 
history  of  the  Christian  Church  ? 
Answer. — Our  Lord's  design  for  His  Church  was 
that  He  alone  should  be  her  Head,  ruling  her  invisibly 
from  His  throne  in  heaven  by  the  influence  of  His 
Holy  Spirit.  (See  Eph.  iv.  8-17.)  His  Apostles,  and 
their  successors  even  to  the  end  of  the  world,  were 
to  be  His  chief  ministers  upon  earth  ;  all  having  autho- 
rity of  the  same  kind  and  degree,  all  of  them  receiving 
from  Himself  the  precepts  and  doctrines  which  they 
were  to  communicate  to  His  flock,  and  all  of  them  set- 
ting themselves  forth  merely  as  ministers  by  whom  men 
believed,  and  giving  to  Him  alone  all  the  glory  of  their 
success.  "  We  preach  not  ourselves,  but  Christ  Jesus 
the  Lord,"  says  St.  Paul  (2  Cor.  iv.  5) ;  aud  see  also 
1  Cor.  iii.  5.  But  in  process  of  time  the  authorized  pas- 
tors began  to  lord  it  over  God's  heritage,  and  to  thrust 
themselves  into  the  place  of  their  Divine  Master.  Thus 
John,  surnamed  the  Faster,  Patriarch  of  Constantinople, 
adopted  the  title  of  Universal  Bishop,  a.d.  588  ;  against 
which  presumption  Pope  Gregory  the  Great  made  a  long 
and  loud  protest,  but  rather,  it  is  to  be  feared,  in  a  spirit 
of  rivalry  and  counter-ambition  on  behalf  of  his  own 
see,  than  from  any  pure  desire  for  the  honour  of  the 
Chief  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  our  souls.  And  since 
that  time  the  Popes  themselves  have  shown  the  same 
unhallowed  ambition,  which  one  of  them  reproved  in 
John  the  Faster,  and  have  claimed  to  be  Universal 
Bishops  and  Vicars  of  Christ  upon  earth.  And  it  was 
this  unwarrantable  claim  which  led  to  the  schism  at 
the  Reformation.  Men  could  no  longer  bear  the  yoke, 
which  the   Scriptures  showed   them   was  imposed  by 


92  Catechism.  [chap. 

man  in  the  arrogance  of  his  heart ;  and  they  rebelled, 
and  threw  it  off. 

21.  Question. — Did  the  earthly  monarchy  of  the  Israel- 
ites, when  it  was  established,  continue  undivided  ? 

Answer. — No  ;  God  had  designed  that  it  should  do 
so,  and  had  annexed  all  the  promises  to  the  throne  of 
David,  "the  man  after  His  own  heart,"  of  whom 
He  said,  "  I  have  made  a  covenant  with  my  chosen,  I 
have  sworn  unto  David  my  servant,  Thy  seed  will  I 
establish  for  ever,  and  build  up  thy  throne  to  all  gene- 
rations "  (Ps.  Ixxxix.  3,  4).  But  man's  sin  disturbed 
this  design  also.  Solomon's  alliance  with  heathen  wives, 
and  his  consequent  apostasy  from  the  worship  of  the 
true  God,  was  punished  by  the  rending  away  from  his 
son  of  the  Ten  Tribes  under  Jeroboam.  And  it  is  re- 
markable that  this  punishment  was  brought  about  in 
great  measure  by  the  oppressiveness  of  Solomon's 
reign.  "Thy  father,"  said  the  people  to  Rehoboam, 
"  made  our  yoke  grievous  :  now  therefore  make  thou 
the  grievous  service  of  thy  father,  and  his  heavy  yoke 
which  he  put  upon  us,  lighter,  and  we  will  serve  thee  " 
(1  Kings  xii.  4).  This  was  a  result  similar  to  that,  of 
which  the  history  of  the  Church  of  Christ  has  furnished 
60  remarkable  an  instance — tyranny  and  oppressive 
claims  leading  to  a  breaking  of  the  yoke  on  the  part  of 
the  oppressed. 

22.  Question. — Did  the  secession  of  the  Ten  Tribes 
receive  God's  sanction  ? 

Answer. — It  did.  So  much  so,  that  God  promised  to 
Jeroboam,  the  first  king  of  the  new  dynasty,  by  the 
prophet  Ahijah,  that,  if  he  would  only  be  obedient,  "  I 
will  be  with  thee,  and  build  thee  a  sure  house,  as  I 
built  for  David"  (1  Kings  xi.  38),  But  Jeroboam  not 
complying  with  this  condition,  his  house  was  extir- 
pated by  Baasha.  And  thenceforth  the  kingdom  of 
the  Ten  Tribes  frequently  changed  hands,  Zimri  destroy- 
ing all  the  house  of  Baasha,  as  Baasha  had  destroyed 
all  the  house  of  Jeroboam ;  and  Omri  supplanting 
Zimri ;  and  Jehu  slaying  all  the  house  of  Ahab  (the 


III.]  Catechism.  93 

son  of  Orari) ;  and  Shallum  conspiring  against  Zaclia- 
riah  (the  fourth  in  descent  from  Jehu) ;  and  Mcnahem 
slaying  Shallum  (after  a  reign  of  one  month)  ;  and 
Pekah° conspiring  against  Pckahiah  (the  son  of  Mcna- 
hem) ;  and  Hoshca  conspiring  against  Pt'kah.  Thus  the 
unhappy  kingdom  of  the  Ten  Tribes  underwent  eight 
changes  of  dynasty  in  the  course  of  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  years,  which  elapsed  between  the  secession 
of  the  Ten  Tribes  and  their  transplantation  by  Shal- 
maneser  into  the  cities  of  the  Mcdes.  This  gives  an 
average  of  about  one  change  in  every  thirty-two  years. 

23.  Question. — What   may  we  learn  on  the  subject 

before  us  from  this  frequent  change  of  dynasty  ? 
Answer. — That  divisions,  even  when  made  under  the 
Divine  warrant,  have  a  tendency  to  multiply  themselves. 
Schism  naturally  begets  schism.  One  departure  from 
the  lawful  lijie  of  succession  leads  to,  and  prepares  the 
way  for,  further  departures.  The  history  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  furnishes  several  instances  of  this.  Even 
where  separation  has  been  justifiable,  it  has  always 
bred  fresh  separations,  and  has  tended  further  to  dis- 
integrate the  one  Body  of  Christ. 

24.  CatecMst. — You  have  mentioned  the  verlal  sanction 
given  by  God  to  the  kingdom  of  the  Ten  Tribes. 
Vifhat  practical  sanction  was  He  pleased  to  give  to 
it,  even  at  a  time  when  the  kingdom  was  in  the 
worst  possible  hands  ? 

Answer. — He  raised  up  in  their  midst  Elijah,  and 
his  successor  Elisha,  than  whom  no  prophets  were  ever 
mightier  in  deed,  hereby  showing  that  He  had  by  no 
means  forsaken  the  seceding  tribes,  but  still  accounted 
them  to  belong  to  His  own  true  people. 

25.  Question. — "What  great  law  of  the  Divine  admini- 
stration is  exemplified,  first  in  the  institution  of  the 
Israelitish  monarchy,  and  afterwards,  not  less  strik- 
ingly, in  the  establishment  and  sanction  of  the 
schismatical  kingdom  ? 

Answer. — That  when  the  first  ideal  (or,  as  it  might 
be  called,   God's  original  intention)   is  frustrated   by 


94  Catechism.  [chap. 

man's  sin  and  perverseness,  He  introduces  a  new  plan, 
a  "  second  best  thing,"  and  works  out  His  ends  by 
means  of  it. 

20.  Question. — What  was  the  original  design  and  con- 
stitution of  the  Christian  Church,  as  it  came  from 
tlie  hands  of  its  Founder  ? 
Ansioer. — The  original  design  was  that  there  should 
be  but  one  Society  ("  the  apostles'  fellowship "), 
which  should  embrace  "  all  nations  "— "  One  body, 
and  one  Spirit,  even  as  ye  are  called  in  one  hope  of 
your  calling ;  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  one 
God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is  above  all,  and  through  all, 
and  in  you  all "  (Eph.  iv,  4,  5,  6).  And  the  constitu- 
tion was,  that  the  ministerial  gifts  necessary  "  for  the 
perfecting  of  the  saints"  should  flow  down  from  the 
Church's  risen  Head  into  this  one  channel  only, — the 
channel  being  prolonged  by  successive  ordinations  in 
one  line, — a  constitution  which  St.  Paul  adverts  to  in 
immediate  connexion  with  the  subject  of  the  Chui-ch's 
imity,  as  being  essential  to  the  maintenance  of  that 
unity.  "  When  he  ascended  up  on  high,  he  led  captivity 
captive,  and  gave  gifts  unto  men.  .  .  .  And  he  gave 
some,  apostles  ;  and  some,  prophets ;  and  some,  evan- 
gelists ;  and  some,  pastors  and  teachers ;  for  the  per- 
fecting of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  for 
the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ  "  (Eph.  iv.  8,  11, 
12). 

27.  Question. — How  was  the  original  design  frustrated  ? 
Answer. — By  the  great  schism  of  the  Greeks  and 

Latins,  which  rent  Christ's  seamless  vest  into  two  parts. 

28.  Question. — How    was    the     original    constitution 
broken  up  ? 

Answer. — By  the  secessions  at  the  time  of  the  Re- 
formation, which  for  the  most  part  (though  happily  not 
in  our  own  country)  broke  oif  from  the  Apostles' 
Fellowship,  and  made  a  fresh  beginning  of  Christian 
Ministry,  out  of  the  line  in  which  the  great  Commission 
had  come  down. 


III.]  Catcchisvi.  95 

29.  Question. — What  is  our  Jiist  duty  under  these  cir- 
cuuistances  ? 

AnsLvcr. — We,  as  members  of  the  old  and  true 
Church,  are  bound  to  acknowledge  and  repent  of  those 
sins  of  the  Church,  which  have  given  rise  to  so  many 
divisions,  and  to  such  extensive  alienation  from  the 
Fellowship  of  the  Apostles.  The  superstitions  which 
disfigured  the  mediaeval  Church,  its  departure  in  so 
many  points  from  scriptural  and  primitive  practice, 
and  the  ecclesiastical  arrogance  and  ambition  which 
resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  Popedom,  should  be 
fully  acknowledged  and  declared.  And  the  abuses  and 
corruptions  of  our  own  Communion  at  the  close  of  the 
last  century, — the  carelessness,  indolence,  and  vices  of 
many  of  the  clergy,  the  dry  morality  of  others  among 
them  who  led  respectable  lives,  and  the  bitter  opposi- 
tion offered  by  them  to  the  doctrines  of  Grace,  ought  to 
be  admitted  as  the  real  originating  cause  of  that  dissent 
and  schism,  which  has  spread  itself  over  all  the  parishes 
of  our  native  land. 

30.  Question. — What  is  our  second  duty  in  reference 
to  these  divisions  ? 

Answer. — To  regard  them  not  so  much  in  the  light 
of  a  sin  in  the  separatists  (though  this  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent they  are),  as  in  that  of  a  visitation  upon  ourselves 
of  the  grievous  sins  of  our  forefathers  in  the  Church. 
And  regarding  them  thus,  to  avoid  to  the  utmost  of  our 
power  the  particular  sins  which  called  them  down, — 
ambition  and  arrogance  in  Church-rulers,  the  unbridled 
lust  of  external  splendour  in  ritual  among  Cliurch- 
people  ;  controversy  about  trifles  and  forms  ;  ministerial 
unfaithfulness  and  indolence ;  the  substituting  mere 
morality  for  the  Gospel ;  and  Pharisaism  both  in  doc- 
trine and  worship. 

31.  Question. — Would  it  be  possible  by  these  or  any 
other  methods  within  the  power  of  man,  to  restore 
perfect  unity  to  the  Church,  and  to  mend  the  rent 
in  the  seamless  vest  of  Christ  ? 

Arisiver. — Probably  not.      While    such  a  mode  of 


96  Catechism.  [chap. 

action,  if  universally  resorted  to,  would  very  much 
mitigate  the  disorder,  and  would  certainly  strike  at  the 
root  of  it,  the  perfect  restoration  of  unity  to  the  Church, 
like  that  of  peace  to  the  kingdoms  of  this  world,  is  pro- 
bably reserved  for  the  Second  Advent  of  the  Prince  of 
Peace,  and  not  to  be  brought  about  by  any  lesser  or 
lower  agency. 

32.  Question. — What  is  our  third  duty  in  reference  to 
the  divisions  of  Christ's  Church  ? 

Answer. — Never  to  refuse  our  hearty  acknowledg- 
ment to  the  working  of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  com- 
munities originally  schismatical,  and  wanting  a  regularly 
ordained  ministry  ;  but  to  admit,  and  render  thanks  to 
God  for,  the  extensive  good  which  has  often  been  done 
by  the  ministers  of  these  Communions,  and  the  brilliant 
examples  of  piety  which  many  of  the  people  in  such 
Communions  have  exhibited. 

33.  Question. — But,  if  we  make  these  admissions,  may 
we  not  fear  that  we  shall  be  driven  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  these  ministries  of  man's  erection  are 
after  all  regular  and  legitimate  ? 

Answer. — By  no  means.  God  may  have  but  one 
regular  channel  for  His  graces  ;  just  as  the  river  Jordan 
had  one  only  bed.  But  as  "  Jordan  overflowed  all  his 
banks  all  the  time  of  harvest"  (see  Josh.  iii.  15),  so 
God's  Grace  may  overflow  the  channel  of  His  own 
appointment,  and  inundate  and  fertilize  the  country 
without  any  channel  at  all. 

34.  Question. — What  is  the  last  duty  which  the  subject 
of  this  Chapter  suggests  ? 

Answer. — That  of  making  the  unity  of  the  Church  a 
special  subject  of  prayer. 

35.  Question. — How  does  the  Church  of  England  show 
her  sense  of  the  importance  of  this  duty  ? 

Aiiswer. — By  introducing  comprehensive  petitions 
for  the  unity  of  the  Church  in  the  Morning  and  Even- 
ing Oflices  of  each  day,  as  well  as  in  the  Office  of  the 
Holy  Communion. 


III.]  CatccJiism.  97 

36.  Catecliist. — Rehearse  the  petitions  to  which  you 
refer. 

Answer. — In  the  Morning  Prayer  (when  the  Litany 
is  not  appointed  to  be  said),  and  always  at  Even- 
song : — 

"  We  pray  for  the  good  estate  of  the  Catholick 
Church  ;  that  it  may  be  so  guided  and  governed  by  thy 
good  Spirit,  that  all  who  profess  and  call  themselves 
Christians  may  be  led  into  the  way  of  truth,  and  hold 
the  faith  in  unity  of  spirit,  in  the  land  of  peace,  and  in 
righteousness  of  life." 

In  the  OfiBce  of  the  Holy  Communion  : — 

"  Beseeching  thee  to  inspire  continually  the  uni- 
versal Church  with  the  spirit  of  truth,  tinity,  and  con- 
cord :  And  grant,  that  all  they  that  do  confess  thy  holy 
Name  may  ayree  in  the  truth  of  thy  holy  Word,  and 
live  in  unity,  and  godly  love." 

And  in  the  Office  for  the  Queen's  Accession  there  is 
a  most  beautiful  Prayer  for  Unity.  And  the  Collect 
for  the  Festival  of  St.  Simon  and  St.  Jude  is  a  prayer 
to  the  same  eflfcct. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE  SURVEY  OF  ZION'S  TOWERS,  BULWARKS, 
AND  PALACES. 

S"  SItalk  abcrut  B'lon,  nnb  qo  xounb  aboixt  her:  tell  the 
\     tffhitxs  thereof.    ^lEitrlt  jc  tucll  her  hultorks,  eonsibcr 
I     her  V'i^lixccs ;  that  jie  maji  tell  it  to  the  generation  fol- 
lotoing." — Ps.  xLviii.  12,  13. 

mt  proiaHe  T^HE  forty-eiglitli  Psalm  probably  belongs  to  the 

fifrtMstitij  reign  of  Jehoshaphat,  and  should  be  read 

Isaim.        ^^  connexion  with  2  Chronicles  xx.     We  find  in 

that  chapter  Moab,  Amnion,  and  Edom  entering 

the  territories  of  Judah  with  an  invading  army, 

with  the  design,  no  doubt,  of  aiming  a  blow  at 

me  confcuc-  the  capital.     To  this  confederacy  verse  4  refers : 

lo  mYu "'     "  Lo,  the  kings  were  assembled."      Jehoshaphat 

proclaims  a  fast,  gathers  his  people,  and  publicly 

asks  help  from  the  Lord.     To  this  prayer  God 

immediately  responds,     A  token  for  good  upon 

Judah  is  shown  by  the  uprising  of  a  Levite  in 

the  congregation,  who,  under  the  influence  of  the 

Spirit  of  Prophecy,  foretells  the  success  of  Israel 

without  their  striking  a  blow.     Accordingly  so  it 

was.     The  kings  mustered  in  the  wilderness  of 

Tekoa,  where  they  caught  the  first  sight  of  the 

battlements,  domes,  and  pinnacles  of  the  Holy 


cii.  IV.]     The  S^trvcy  of  Zions  Toivers.     99 

City, — the  "towers,  bulwarks,  and  palaces"  of  the 
text.    Israel  advanced  against  them  like  a  crusad- 
ing army,  with  the  sound  of  psalms  and  hymns 
going  up  from  the  forefront  of  their  line.     But  fHimcuimis 
long  before  the  armies  met,  a  panic  seized  the  ccnfcDnracs! 
confederate  kings ;  they  turned  their  arms  against 
one  another,   and  having  made  great  havoc  in 
their  own  ranks,  fled  in  trepidation.     "  They  saw 
it,"  in  the  words  of  the  Psalm,  "  and  so  they 
marvelled ;  they  were  troubled,  and  hasted  away. 
Fear  took  hold  upon  them  there,  and  pain,  as  of 
a  woman  in  travail."     AVhen  the  Jews  came  up 
with  their  enemies,  they  found  not  a  hand  raised 
to  oppose  them,  but  a  vast  number  of  corpses, 
with   spoil  in  such  abundance,  that  they  were 
three   days   in   gathering   it.     As   afterwards  in 
the  days   of  Hezekiah,  so  now  on  this  earlier 
occasion,  the  virgin,  the  daughter  of  Zion,  had 
despised  the  invader  and  laughed  him  to  scorn ; 
the  daughter  of  Jerusalem  had  shaken  her  head 
at  him.     There  in  the  distance  stood  the  City  of  SfrarHs  of 
God  intact ;  planted  upon  her  impregnable  rock,  ©ou  i|afnst 
and  proudly  rearing  her   minarets   and    domes  sfon!  "^  ^' 
towards  heaven.     ISTo  weapon  forged  against  her 
should  prosper. 

Such  was  the  original  occasion  of  the  Psalm — 
necessary  to  be  known,  as  furnishing  a  clue  to  the 
interpretation,  but  which  can  never  recur.  But, 
like  all  parts  of  Scripture,  the  forty-eighth  Psalm 
has  a  word  for  these  times,  as  well  as  for  those  in 
which  it  was  written.  Spiritually  understood,  as 
we  Christians  ought  to  understand  the  Psalms 
(for  in  our  mouths  they  should  be  "  new  songs"). 


100  The  Stirvey  of  Zioii s          [chap. 

it  celebrates  the  glory,  beauty,  and  stability  of  the 

Spiritual       Church,  of  which  the  literal  Jerusalem  was  but 

t^e  nijorta-    a  figure.     And,  under  tliis  view  of  it,  the  passage 

tjittotocrsof  before  us  will  convey  an  admonition,  too  little 

marfe  faru  \:i  heeded  by  some,  and  magnified  by  others  into 

^utoar-g,      ^j^g  g^^  ^^^  substance  of  all  religion,  to  consider 

with  devout  attention   the   constitution   of  the 

Church,  the  shelter  which  she  provides  for  the 

spiritual  life,  and  her  defences. 

With  this  admonition  I  proceed  to  comply,  and 
thus  to  carry  on  the  subject,  to  which  this  work 
is  devoted.  We  shall  be  able,  however,  within 
the  limits  of  the  present  Chapter,  only  to  go  half 
round  the  circuit  of  Zion's  walls,  reserving  for 
another  opportunity  the  observation  of  her  re- 
maining bulwarks  and  palaces. 
In  tije  In  the  work  of  Creation  the  body  of  man  was 

fflrcatfon.Hje  first  formed,   and,   that   having  been  done,  the 
faas^ftailutf"  spark  of  life  was  communicated  to  the  frame. 
brS  oHibrs  "  The  Lord  God  formed  man  of  the  dust  of  the 
toasbrcatijcD  gj.Qy^Q(3^»  (thus  far  man  was  only  matter,  but  it 
was  organized  matter,  with  all  the  vessels,  ducts, 
and   arteries   complete,   wanting   only  in   sensi- 
bility and  power  of  movement),  "  and  breathed 
into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  life"  (more  j)ro- 
perly,   "  lives," — animal,    intellectual,  spiritual)  ; 
Simiiario  or.r  "  ^"^^  ^^^^^  became  a  living  soul."     Something  of 
tt??tmtur?  the  same  kind  is  to  be  observed  in  Christ's  new 
ffiiifrdi  icfore  Creation  of  His  Church.     He,  as  Founder,  was  to 
Smnt"!)"-      trace  the  outlines  of  the  structure  ;  and  the  Holy 


rpirit 
ccirtc 
JPrntccost 


Bicniiciiat^^    Ghost  at  Peutecost  was  to  animate  the  already 


Bnimatcit.     prepared  organism  with  the  Divine  Life.     Then 
St,  Peter,  according  to  our  Lord's  own  prophecy. 


IV.]     Toiuers,  Bulwarks,  and  Palaces.    loi 

which  formed  the  subject  of  our  first  Chapter, 
should  arise  and  build. 

I  propose  to  show,  in  the  present  and  succeed- 
ing Chapters,  how  our  Lord  did  actually  Himself 
trace  all  those  outlines, — one  or  two  of  the  most 
marked  and  distinctive  in  the  days  of  His  flesh, — 
but  all  of  them  in  the  period  of  Forty  Days,  which 
elapsed  between  His  liesurrection  and  Ascension, 
This  jrreat  period  had  two  aspects,  both  of  the  JTfjt  sftniifi- 

o  ^  _^  ,  ■'•  .  .  cnncc  of  the 

highest  significance  to  our  Eeligion ;  it  was  partly  srfat  Jortg 
evidential,  and  partly  constructive.  Partly  evidcn-  iticif  cfaium- 
tial; — "  To  whom  also  he  showed  himseli  alive  cana, 
after  his  passion  by  many  infallible  proofs,  being 
seen  of  them  forty  clays."  If  Christ  had  been  seen 
after  His  Resurrection  for  only  one  or  two  days, — 
if  He  had  not  given  His  Apostles  several  oppor- 
tunities of  testing  the  truth  of  His  Eesurrection;  if 
He  had  not  allowed  Himself  to  be  seen  by  many 
pairs  of  eyes, — on  one  occasion  by  as  many  as  five 
hundred  brethren  at  once ; — if  time  had  not  been 
given  for  appearances  to  several  different  persons, 
at  several  different  places,  and  under  several  dif- 
ferent circumstances, — in  Galilee,  in  Judea,  in- 
doors, out  of  doors,  by  day  and  by  night, — room 
would  have  been  given  for  reasonable  doubt 
whether  the  Apostles  had  not  laboured  under 
some  illusion  of  the  senses,  when  they  imagined 
that  their  risen  Lord  had  come  among  them  and 
spoken  unto  them. — But  the  significance  of  the 
great  Forty  Days  was  not  evidential  only ;  they 
had  another  and  even  a  more  important  aspect : 
for  Christ  not  only  showed  Himself  alive  to  them  (f)ctr  ron- 
during  this  period,  by  many  infallible  proofs,  but  significanct. 


I02  The  Survey  of  Zions         [chap. 

also  spake  to  them  "  of  the  things  pertaining  to 
the   kingdom  of  God,"   or    Church.      In  other 
words,  this  was  the  great  constructive  period,  in 
which  Christ,  as  a  wise  master  builder,  traced 
fffie  nmna     the  plan  of  the  spiritual  edifice.     And  accordingly 
fnsSons,   we   iind  in  this   period   the   germs   of  Church 
offict2%nJi     offices.  Church  institutions,  and  even  Church  sea- 
Sof^,  Iain  sons ;  I  say,  their  germs  or  earliest  beginnings,  by 
EcS  '^^^^    110  means  their  full  development.     The  develop- 
ment of  the  grand  ideas  of  their  Founder  was  left 
to  the  Apostles  under  the  guidance  of  that  Spirit 
Subsequent    which   fell  upon  them  at  Pentecost.      You   see 
i)u  tVe"""™    them  afterwards  developing  the  Ministry  of  the 
tiieiliinisirg  Church,  when  they  appoint  the  Seven  Deacons, 
cimrtfj,  anu  and  devolve  upon  them  their  own  secular  func- 
Ltiij" potos.  tions ;  you  see  them  developing  the  legislative 
powers  of  the  Church,  when  they  call  a  Council  at 
Jerusalem,  to  consider  how  far  the  observance  of 
the  Jewish  ritual  was  binding  upon  the  Gentiles. 
— But  we  are  now  to  look  at  Church  institutions 
in  their  earliest  rudiments,  to  see  the  Sacraments, 
the   Ministry,  the   Festivals,  just  budding,  like 
Aaron's  rod,  in  the  hand  of  the  Divine  Founder. 
"So  is  the  kingdom  of  God,"  said  He,  "as  if  a 
man  should  cast  seed  into  the  ground."    He  Him- 
self is  the  man  who  cast  the  seed  of  God's  king- 
dom into  the  ground  of  man's  heart;  and  most 
interesting  it  will  be  to  trace  up  all  our  life  as 
members  of  the  Church,  developed  as  it  is  now 
into  blossom  and  fruit,  to  the  seed  which  fell  from 
His  own  hand. 

The  first  passage  to  which  I  shall  refer,  because 
it  comes  first  in  the  order  of  thoudit,  is,  that 


IV.]     Towers,  Bulwarks,  and  Palaces.     103 

wliicli  we  find  in  the  eighteenth  chapter  of  St.  st.fflatt. 
JMatthew's  Gospel.  "'"•  ''■'' 

Our  Lord  is  speaking  in  the  foregoing  context 
of  His  Church ;  of  the  duty  of  hearing  the  Church ; 
and  of  the  power  of  excommunication  and  absolu- 
tion with  which  He  meant  to  endow  her.    Her  sen- 
tences of  excommunication  and  absolution,  He 
says,  shall  be  ratified  in  heaven.     If  the  offending 
brother  refuse  to  listen  to  the  remonstrance  of 
one  or  two  private  friends,  then  (ver.  1 7)  "  tell  it 
unto  the  church :  but  if  he  neglect  to  hear  the 
church,  let  him  be  unto  thee  as  an  heathen  man 
and  a  publican.     Verily  I  say  unto  you.  What- 
soever ye  shall  bind  on  earth,  shall  be  bound  in 
heaven :  and  whatsoever  ye  shall  loose  on  earth, 
shall  be  loosed  in  heaven."     Then  from  the  rati- 
fication in  heaven  of  sentences  of  excommunica- 
tion and  absolution,  He  passes  on,  by  an  easy 
connexion,  to  another  marvellous  power  which 
the  Church  as  a  body  might  exercise — that  of 
united  or  common  prayer ;  (ver.  1 9),  "  Again  I  say  rhf 
unto  you.  That  if  two  of  you  shall  agree  on  earth  prmlsc'fo  be 
as  touching  anything  that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  on'SetbJfor 
be  done  for  them  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven."  ISg/thrt'iJt"''' 
And  then,  piercing  to  the  very  root  of  the  subject,  fi'o  tlfcon- 
He   assigns,  as   the  ground  of  these  wonderful  ano^tatimfl^ 
powers  which  His  Church  should  exercise.  His  "''  ^  "• 
continual  presence  with  her  (ver.  20),  "  For  where 
two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  my  name, 
there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them."     These  words 
were  uttered  during  our  Saviour's  lifetime ;  but  niirrai  fuiei- 
after  His  Eesurrection  He  gave  the  most  forcible  pronuae 
commentary  upon  them  by  appearing  suddenly  in  great  jjortg 

Bags. 


I04  The  Stcrvey  of  Z ions         [chap. 

the  midst  of  His  disciples,  when  they  were  gathered 
together  in  a  chamber,  the  doors  of  which  were 
shut  for  fear  of  the  Jews.  Doubtless  they  were 
thinking  of  Him,  and  talking  of  Him ;  and  their 
separation  from  the  unbelieving  world,  upon  which 
they  had.  shut  the  doors,  showed  that  they  were 
His  little  flock,  "gathered  together  in"  His 
"  Name."  "  Then  came  Jesus  and  stood  in  the 
midst,  and  saith  unto  them,  Peace  be  unto  you," 
(according  to  that  foregone  word  of  His,  "  Where 
two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  my  name, 
there  am  I  in  tlie  midst  of  them.") 
©rttnanctof  Now,  obscrve  the  words  narrowly.  There  is 
isragcr.  first  the  institution  of  a  Christian  Ordinance, 
United.  Prayer.  "If  two  of  you  shall  agree  on 
earth  as  touching  any  thing  that  they  shall  a,sk, 
it  shall  be  done  for  them."  It  is  on  this  ground 
that  we  meet,  Sunday  after  Sunday,  to  ask  of  God. 
"  those  things  which  are  requisite  and  necessary, 
as  well  for  the  body  as  the  soul," — endeavouring 
to  secure  agreement  on  the  things  to  be  asked  for 
by  a  form  of  prayer,  which  is  in  the  hands  of 
every  worshipper,  and  with  the  meaning  of  which 
every  one  may  acquaint  himself,  before  he  comes 
to  the  place  of  meeting.  But  the  words  not  only 
institute  the  Ordinance  of  United  Prayer,  but 
exhibit  the  ground  also  on  which  the  blessing 
©rounti  on  annexed  to  such  prayer  rests  :  "  For  where  two  or 
blessing  three  are  gathered  together  in  my  name,  there  am 
to  tbat  orDi-  I  in  the  midst  of  them."  The  reason  why  the  two 
ojc  three  are  heard  is,  the  presence  of  the  Pounder 
in  the  midst  of  them,  interceding  for  them.  And 
this    presence   is   covenanted   to   any  gathering 


IV.]     Toilers,  Bulwarks,  and  Palaces.    105 

together  in  His  Name,  however  small ;  for  there 
can  be  no  congregation  smaller  than  two. 

AVe  have  here,  then,  the  charter,  which  founds  jrj,( 


pro 
thci 


charter  entirely  of  a  piece  with  the  whole  doctrine  on^cc'ii^g. 
and  example  of  our  Lord.     His  constant  doctrine,  '^^ocictg. 
His  new  commandment,  was,  "  that  ye  love  one 
another."     His  path  through  life  was  eminently 
social ;  unlike  that  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  it  lay 
alongside  the  homes  of  men.    He  sat  by  the  hearth 
of  IMary  and  ]\Iartha ;  He  was  present  at  funerals  ;  (t^xxii'i 
He  was  present  at  weddings  ;  in  short,  "  He  went  s"mf,'toiiiic 
in  and  out  among  us."     Well,  this  doctrine,  this  u?a|?ijat"f'^ 
manner  of  life,  finds  itself  expressed  in  the  earliest  '""'"^'  ^"'• 
principle  of  His  foundation, — in  the  charter  which 
establishes  the  Christian  Society,  and  annexes  a 
special  blessing  to  joint  prayer.     The  most  fun- 
damental of  all  truths  respecting  the  Church  is 
this,  that  our  relations  to  God  and  Christ  are  not 
those  of  the  individual  conscience  only, — do  not 
stand  clear  of  our  relations  to  our  brethren.     The 
presence  of  our  Founder,  with  all  the  rich  bless- 
ings annexed  to  it,  is  to  be  enjoyed  specially  in 
the  Communion  of  Saints. 

Christ  then  founded  a  Society,  and  endowed  it,  Gufstion 
if  I  may  so  say,  with  the  assurance  of  His  own  iioto  tfie 
presence,   and  with  the  promise   01   an   answer  sodrto  bjag 
to   social   prayer,   however  few   the  number  of  anu  r"'"^''''' 
people  joining  in  it.     But  was  this  Society  to  '^  '"'*'''*'• 
continue  for  ever?     If  so,  it  must  of  course  be 
replenished  from  time  to  time,  because  the  original 
members  of  it  would  die  off  in  the  course  of 
nature.     And  if  it  was  to  be  replenished,  how  was 


3ion  to  ano 
socictg  an" 


1 06  The  Survey  of  Zions         [chap. 

it  to  be  replenisliecl  ?  what  was  to  be  its  rule  or  form 
of  admission  ?  Who  was  to  be  considered  quali- 
fied for  admission,  and  how  was  he  to  be  grafted 
«Tif-ntimts-  into  the  Society  %  I  trust  the  reader  sees  that  it 
is  of  the  very  nature  of  a  society  that  no  man  can 
put  himself  into  it ;  that  admission  must  be  from 
within,  according  to  certain  rules  made  when  the 
society  was  founded.  In  some  religious  societies, 
there  is  the  rule  that  a  certain  annual  money  pay- 
ment shall  make  a  man  a  member;  unless  he 
complies  with  that  condition,  the  society  does  not 
own  him.  In  clubs,  the  admission  is  usually  by 
election,  it  being  required  not  only  that  a  candi- 
date for  membership  shall  pay  something  towards 
the  funds  of  the  club,  but  that  lie  shall  be  chosen 
by  a  majority  of  the  existing  members.  Now, 
wliat  rule  did  our  Blessed  Lord  make  respecting 
the  way  in  which  vacancies  in  the  Church  (or 
Christian  Society)  were  to  be  filled  up  ?  How 
were  people  to  be  induced  to  wish  for  member- 
ship? How  were  they  to  be  made  members, 
when  they  did  wish  for  it  ?  And  how  were  they 
to  be  treated  and  dealt  with  afterwards,  when 
they  had  become  members  ? 
St.  fHatt.  All  these  questions  our  Blessed  Lord  answers 

mm.  Id  to  -^^  ^i^g  j^g^  verses  of  St.  Matthew's  Gospel,  which 
are  among  the  most  important  verses  in  the  whole 
of  the  New  Testament. 

(Ver.  1 6.)  "  Then  the  eleven  disciples  went 
away  into  Galilee,  into  a  mountain  where  Jesus 
had  appointed  them."  Observe  that  the  scene  of 
the  interview  was  a  mountain ;  for,  as  you  will 
see  presently,  it  throws  light  upon  the  commission 


IV.]     Tozuers,  Bukuarks,  ajid  Palaces.    107 

He  was  about  to  give.    Observe,  also,  that  though  ?3robabic 
the  eleven  only  are  said  to  have  been  present,  It^^DnuHo 
others  may  have  been  there  also.     This  -was  pro-  if 'ciinB?'"" 
bably  the  interview  in  which  Christ  appeared  to  e\com. 
"above   five   hundred  brethren  at  once,"  i.e.  to 
all  His   existing  disciples;    but  the  Eleven  are 
named   as  representatives   of    the  whole  body, 
and   as   such,  the  persons   to  whom  the   com- 
mission was  to  be  given.     I'robably,  in  the  first  ?3n0fncc  of 
instance,  they    caught    sight   of    His   figure  at  Tube  inu"^ 
the  top   of  the  mountain ;  and    then   followed 
what  is  told  us  in  the  ITtli  verse — "And  when 
they    saw    Him,    they    worshipped    Him :    but 
some "  {i.e.  some  of  the  five  hundred,  who  were 
on  the  skirts  01  the  crowd,  perhaps,  and  could 
not  get  glimpses  without  diifi.culty)  "doubted." 
"  And  Jesus  came  "  (He  came  up  closer,  so  as  to 
be  nearer  to  them)  "  and  spake  unto  them,  saying. 
All  power"  (authority)  "is  given  unto  me  in 
heaven  and  in  earth " — given  unto  Me,  as  the 
risen  and  glorified  Son  of  God.     God  has  set  Me, 
according  to  the  word  of  prophecy,  as  His  King 
upon  His  holy  hill  of  Zion.     I  am  His  Son,  His  z\)t  jjccu  of 
first-begotten  from  the  dead,  and  He  hath  given  fj  /n"y""^., 
iMe  "  the  heathen  for  "  Mine  "  inheritance,  and  the  cJfr^umi's 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  "  My  "  possession."  t^'tlie^"^'"' 
And  now  I  am  about  to  proceed  under  that  deed  ''""J"^ 
of  gift,  and  to  commission  you  to  carry  into  efiect 
the  Father's  grant — "  Go  ye  therefore,  and  teach  " 
(literally,  make  disciples  of)  "  all  nations."     "  All 
nations  " — the  Church,  and  the  Gospel  message, 
by  which  men  were  to  be  brought  into  it,  was  to 
be  Catholic  or  universal — free  as  the  breeze  which 


io8 


The  Sjirvey  of  Zions         [chap. 


S'UifafiiKtn  of 
tiic  scene  to 
(iir  commis- 
sion. 


iTfjc  ©rt{- 
nnncc  of 
itlissionarg 
iJrcncting" 
institutfli. 


fHotje  of 
fovmaUg 
atimitting 
lubJ  concerts 
to  tfie  Chris- 
tian Socictg. 


Ensfntcft'on 
trquircti  sub- 
scqucntlu  to 
Ijaptism'. 


careered  over  the  mountain.  "The  freedom  of 
tlie  open  air,"  says  a  devout  preaclier^  of  our  own 
day,  "  befitted  the  wideness  of  the  Sacrament  of 
Baptism,  just  as  the  privacy  of  the  dying  leave- 
taking  beseemed  the  sacred  fellowship  of  the 
more  advanced  and  therefore  more  withdrawn 
mystery." 

"  Make  disciples  of  all  nations."  Thus  Christ 
institutes  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  in  heathen 
countries, — Missionary  Preaching,  the  heralding 
of  the  kingdom  of  God  and  of  the  name  of  Jesus, 
among  those  who  never  heard  of  God  and  Christ. 
AVhen  the  preaching  has,  by  God's  grace,  done  its 
work;  when  it  has  created  a  desire  among  the 
benighted  people  to  come  into  the  kingdom  of 
God,  and  be  made  disciples  of  Jesus,  then  they 
are  to  be  admitted  as  disciples.  In  what  follows. 
He  tells  us  how.  "  Make  disciples  by  baptizing 
them  into  the  Name "  (one  Name,  because  there 
is  but  one  God,  albeit  three  Persons — here  is 
the  mystery  of  the  Unity  in  Trinity)  "of  the 
Pather,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost " 
(here  is  the  mystery  of  the  Trinity  in  Unity). 

But  when  that  is  done,  and  the  new  converts 
have  been  admitted  by  Baptism  to  the  Christian 
Society, — what  next  ?  Is  no  provision  made  for 
leading  them  forward  in  the  spiritual  life,  upon 
which  they  have  now  entered  ?  Nay ;  for  what 
purpose  have  they  entered  into  Christ's  school, 
and  become  disciples  of  His,  but  that  they  may 


*  The  Rev.  Henry  Burrows,  B.D.,  Vicar  of  Cliristchurch, 
St.  Pancras,  one  of  whose  sentences  would  often  make 
another  man's  Avhole  sermon. 


IV,]     Tozucrs,  Buhuarks,  and  Palaces.    109 

learn  of  Him  ?     Hundreds  of  lessons  Lave  to  bo 

learned  of  Him ;  we  shall  never  have  exhausted 

all  the  Lord's  teaching,  even  should  we  live  to  tlie 

age  of  iMethuselah.     And  therefore  it  is  that  in  ixrcognition 

our  Baptismal  Service,  after  the  administration  of  jjapusmai 

the  Sacrament,  the  Sponsors  receive  this  charge  nwssitp  of'^*^ 

from  the  administrator— "  That  this  infant  may  £'""'"'" 

know  these  tilings  the  better,  ye  shall  call  upon 

him  to  hear  Sermons ;  and  chiefly  ye  shall  provide, 

that  he  may  learn  the  Creed,  the  Lord's  Prayer, 

and  the  Ten  Commandments,  in  the  vulgar  tongue, 

and  all  other  things  which  a  Christian  ought  to 

know  and  believe  to  his  soid.'s  health,"     This  is 

not  a  little  piece  of  good  advice,  given  by  the 

compilers  of  the  Service,     It  is  an  echo,  and  a 

very  faithful  one,  of  the  great  commission  under 

which  every  Baptism   takes   place,   and  which 

joins   closely  with   Baptism   Christian  teaching 

— "  Baptizing  them  in  the  Name,"  etc.,  and,  after 

that  is   done,  "teaching  them    to    observe    all 

things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you." 

In  which  grave  and  most  significant  words 
our  Eedeemer  institutes  two  Ordinances  of  His 
Church, 

Is^.  What  we  commonly  call  Preaching,  the  ex-  (Drtinanrr  of 
position  •  and  illustration  of  Christian  Trutli  to  a  c"ristianV 
congregation  of  baptized  believers.     It  is  quite  a  '"®"'"'*^* 
different  thiug,  and,  as  you  see,  is  clearly  dis- 
criminated  in  the  Founder's   commission,   from  oie  tifffrmi 
the  proclamation  of  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen.  t'ca"hm°s 
The  two  are  expressed  by  totally  distinct  words,  nqmrrti" 
One"  is  iiad-qTtvo-are,  "  Make  them  disciples ; "  the  ans'sub-^ 
other  is  BiSaaKovTes,  "  Teaching  them."     Great  con^  ^^fi  ^ 


no  The  Survey  of  Zioiis         [chap. 

fusion  of  thought  springs  from  classing  together 
under  the  common  name  of  Preaching  the  herald- 
ing of  Christ  to  those  who  never  heard  of  Him,  and 
the  regular  instruction  of  a  Christian  congregation. 
Both  were  directly  instituted  by  the  Lord  Himself, 
and  are  done  to  this  day  under  the  great  com- 
mission He  issued  to  the  Eleven  Apostles;  and 
this   being  the   case,  it   may  be   gravely   ques- 
tioned whether  the  sneers  which   are  launched 
igopuiHt       so   generally  at    preachers    and   preaching,   and 
prcarijins      the  uudisguiscd  enuui  which  people  confess  to 
i)g  our  _    _   suffering  when  they  hear  Sermons,  are  altogether 
tutionofit.    consistent  with  that  profound  veneration,  which 
we  owe  to  the  Divine  Founder  of  the  Church. 
Preaching,  like  other  means  of  grace,  is  very  much 
what  the  hearer  makes  it.     No  man,  who   has 
really  tried  to  make  it  a  means  of  spiritual  good 
to  himself,  will  ever  speak  of  it  lightly  and  dis- 
paragingly.    The  taunts  and  slights  come  from 
itching  ears,  not  from  hungry  hearts. — But  we 
c>rti(nanr0  of  find  in  the  words  before  us,  "  Teaching  them  to 
eniucat'ion.    observo  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded 
you,"  the  institution  of  another  Ordinance.     For 
our  Lord  must  have  known  perfectly  that  Infant 
Baptism  was  to  be  the  uniform  practice  of  His 
fjofa  tiifs  is    Church,  down  to  a  very  late  period  of  her  history. 

to  be  fount  .  '  .  "^  -^       ,  .,  ^  ^     .    -^ 

in  ti)c  toortis,  He  Himsclf ,  by  blessing  young  children,  and  thus 
tiinnto  showing  that  theywere  capable  of  a  special  blessing, 
tijinss,'  £tc.  had  solemnly  sanctioned  the  principU  of  Infant 
Baptism.  And  therefore  "  teaching  them  to  ob- 
serve all  things  "  must  certainly  embrace,  not  the 
instruction  of  adults  only,  but  the  training  of  chil- 
dren in  Christian  Truth :  in  other  words,  Chris- 


IV.]     Toii'crs,  Bukva'/'ks,  and  Palaces.     1 1 1 

tiau  Education.      Observe   that   this   Education  criosc  anti 

Ditnl  con- 
is  prescribed  as  closely  connected  with,  and  im-  nnion  of 

.  -r,         .  ^  ^  -L  ^Christian 

mediately  following  upon,  Baptism  ;  that,  when  it  (inmcation 
is  lacking,  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism  is  shorn  of  Baptism, 
its  essential  accompaniment.    The  great  Founder 
of  the  Church  having,  by  the  ministry  of  the 
priest,  taken  the  infant  into  His  arms  and  blessed 
it,  thereafter   gives   it  back   to  those  who  pre- 
sented it,  with  a  charge  similar  to  that  which 
Pharaoh's  daughter  gave  to  the  mother  of  the  in- 
fant ]\Ioses — "  Take  this  child  away,  and  nurse  it  cfinsfs 
for  me,  and  I  will  give  thee  thy  wages."     Yes  !  f^arT 
nurse  it,  teach  it,  train  it  FOR  IMe,  in  My  Truth,  ca^^'fa^hjca 
in  My  sanctifying  Word.     And   that  Christian '" 
Education  might  be  more  clearly  recognised  as 
prescribed  by  Christ,  and  as  part  of  the  work 
which   His    Church    and   the   ministers   of  His 
Church  were  by  Him  appointed  to  do.  He  said  to 
St.  Peter,  when  restoring  him  after  his  fall  to  the  ^ofa  . 
Pastoral  Office,  not  only  "  Feed  my  sheep,"  but  ciiucation 

11,,  '3  rcrosnisit) 

also    r  eed  my  lambs.  m  t^c  tcstora- 

What  shall  we  say,  after  this,  to  a  scheme  of  pctrr  tMije 
Education  purely  secular,  from  which  Bible  and  ooL." 
Prayer-Book   are  to    be   carefully   excluded,  in 
which  Christ  and  His  Church  are  to  have  no  part  at  pmcc  it 
all  ?    Nay,  what  shall  we  say  even  to  a  much  more  e^m^^non 
apparently  plausible  scheme,  of  teaching  the  Bible  iTtUgimror 
to  children  without  any  authorized  explanation  of  from^tijr' 
it  ?    We  must  say,  I  fear,  that  even  such  a  scheme  fffcTuub^ 
as  this  last  sets  at  defiance  Christ's  Ordinance  of  fodK"® 
the  Church  as  a  teaching  Society ;  that  it  labours  'S^T  ^■■ 
under  the  fundamental  defect,  incidental  to  so  "1??^'''''" 
many  religious  systems,  of  recognising  a  Christian  ''^'J"'^^ 


1 1 2  The  Stirvcy  of  Zions         [chap. 

Truth,  while  it  discards  the  idea  of  an  authority 
specially  set  and  commissioned  to  teach  the 
Truth ;  and  that  therefore  those  who  do  recognise 
the  Church  of  Christ  as  a  Divine  Institution 
cannot  be  expected  to  give  it  sympathy  or  co- 
operation. If  the  Church  is  merely  a  society 
founded  by  man,  and  having  no  Divine  Commis- 
sion to  teach  and  minister,  or  if  she  is  merely  a 
political  engine  taken  into  the  service  of  the  State, 
that  of  course  alters  the  whole  aspect  of  the  ques- 
tion. Then  no  doubt  we  shall  do  right  to  employ 
Christian  Truth  in  the  training  of  our  children, 
while  we  banish  tlie  Church,  with  her  Creeds,  her 
formularies,  and  her  spiritual  pastors. 

Thus   have   we   seen   Christ   instituting,  first, 
the  Christian  Society,  then  United  Prayer,  then 
Preaching  to  the  heathen,  then  the  Sacrament 
of  Baptism,  then  the  instruction  of  the  baptized 
(whether  adults  or  children)  in  Christian  Truth. 
And   that    the    Church  was   to   be   perpetually 
replenished  and  extended  on  these  principles, — 
jrf,r  (Tom-     that  the  great  Corporation  was  to  endure  in  an 
prrpl™ '  unbroken  line  to  the   Second  Advent,  handing 
assirloftijc  down  the  Word   and   Sacraments   to  the  latest 
Qpogtks.      generation,  we  gather  from  the  latest  words  of 
the  commission — "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even 
unto  the  end  of  the  world;"  to  which  assevera- 
tion. He  who  is  the  "Amen,  the  faithful  and  true 
witness,"  adds  His  own  name,  as  a  sort  of  seal 
iDffpstgnt-    appended  to   His   charter,   "Amen!"   as  if  He 
would  say,  "The  existence  of  this  Corporation, 
and  My  presence  with  her  to  the  end  of  time, 


ficanrt  of  ttjc 
'  ilmcn '  at 
tije  dost  of  it, 


IV.]     Toivcrs,  Bulwarks,  and  Palaces.     1 1 3 

are    matters    of  wliich    I    assure    you    on    the 
foith   of  ]\Iy  own  name."      And  His  word  has 
stood  fast,  even  when  it  seemed,  from  the  dark 
outlook,  that  it  was  failing.     He  has  been  ever 
with  and  in  His  Church,  as  He  ever  will  be. 
Even  in  the   days  when   she  least   seemed  to 
realize  His  gi-and  conceptions  of  what  she  ought 
to  be,  when  superstitions  were  rife,  con-uptions 
flagrant,  and  a  frightful  usurpation  of  His  own 
prerogatives  was  growing   up  within  her   pale, 
even  then  He  was  not  absent.     For  was  not  the  J^^jpr- 
spirit,  which  should  shake  off  these  corruptions  |«i.^cbutcj^^ 
and  superstitions,  even  then  working  within  her  ?  p^r.o..^of  bft 
And  was  not  that  His  own  Spirit  ?     When  a  tree  .hc^^n  bj^^Jhc 
sheds  its  leaves  in  autumn,  and  seems  to  outward  gnch.^c^^^ 
eyes  a  bare  pole,  it  is  not  really  dead ;   it  will  corruptions. 
bud  and  blossom  next  spring.     And  when  the 
Church  seemed  stripped  of  all  the  comeliness, 
with  which  her  Founder  had  decked  her,  and  her 
spiritual  life   appeared  to  be  well-nigh  extinct, 
even  then  there  was  that  within  her,  by  which 
her  youth  shoidd  be  renewed  like  the  eagla's. 
According  as  it  is  written— "As  a  teil  tree,  and 
as   an  oak,  whose  substance  is  in  them,  when 
they  cast  their  leaves :  so  the  holy  seed  shall  be 
the  substance  thereof." 

And  here  I  should  break  off  for  the  present, 
were  it  not  that  one  word  more  requires  to  be 
said  upon  the  nature  and  effect  of  the  first  Sacra- 
ment, which  we  have  seen  our  Lord  instituting. 

No  one,  who  has  followed  the  argument  hitherto, 
will  fail  to  understand  that  Baptism  is  the  form 
of  admission  to  the  Cliurch.     But  the  danger  is, 
II 


1 1 4  The  Survey  of  Z ions         [chap. 

if  we  leave  the  subject  thus,  that  we  should  think 
it  to  be  nothing  more.     I  believe  there  is  a  great 
want  of  clearness,  in  the  minds  even  of  seriously- 
disposed  and  thoughtful  persons,  on  this  subject. 
Baptism  tfjc  Baptism  involves  and  carries  with  it,  as  its  neces- 
tutcTfotm^of'  sary  consequence,  admission  to  the  Church,  and, 
tbeCbutdj!"  indeed,  is  the  divinely  instituted  form  of  admis- 
sion.    Nor  does  it  at  all  conflict  with  this  view, 
that,  immediately  after  our  public  administration 
of  Baptism,  when   the   Sacrament   (properly   so 
called)  is  concluded,  the  priest  is  directed  to  say, 
(TfjE  aignins  while  signing  the  child  with  the  sign  of  the  Cross, 
of'tbc  Cross"  "  We  receive  this  child  into  the  congregation  of 
assmt  t"tJ)at  Christ's  flock."     This  is  the  solemn  assent,  on  the 
tbe^parrof  tte  part  of  the  Christian  Society,  to  the  admission  of 
Sociftgf"      the  child  into  the  Church,  which,  as  it  has  been 
received  and  blessed  by  Christ,  has  really  taken 
place  already,  and  only  has  to  be  ^  recognised  by 
the  congregation.     The  signing  with  the  Cross  is 
a  mere  ceremony  (though  a  godly  and  a  primitive 
one)  of  man's  invention,  and  might  be  dispensed 
with  without  injuring  the  effect  of  the  Sacrament. 
But  let  no  one  think  that  the  affusion  of  water 
in  the  Name  of  the  Holy  Trinity  is  a  mere  cere- 

^  "  As  the  thirtieth  Canon  distinctly  says,  the  signing  with 
the  Cross  adds  nothing  to  the  virtue  and  perfection  of  the 
Baptism,  so  also  we  must  remember  that  neither  are  the 
accompanying  words,  '  We  receive,'  etc.,  any  essential  part  of 
the  Baptism.  They  have  sometimes  been  spoken  of  as  if  by 
them  the  child  was  '  received  into  the  Church : '  but  the,  act 
of  Baptism  is  tlie  true  reception  into  the  Church,  and  these 
ivords  are  a  ceremonial  declaration  only  of  that  fact.  In  thia 
respect  they  are  analogous  to  the  words  used  by  the  Priest 
in  the  Marriage  Service,  after  the  essential  part  of  the  office 
is  completed  by  the  solemn  adjuration,  'Those  whom  God 
hath   joined   together,  let  no  man  put   asunder.'     As  the 


IV.]     Totucrs,  Bulwarks,  and  Palaces.     1 1 5 

mony.     It  is  a  passage  from  darkness  to  light,  a 
new  supernatural  birth  into  a  state  of  favour,  par- 
don, and  acceptance,  a  translation  into  the  king- 
dom of  God's  dear  Son, "  in  whom  we  have  redemp- 
tion  through   his  blood,  even  the  forgiveness  of 
sins  ;"  according  to  that  word  of  Christ  to  Nico- 
demus,  "  Except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of 
the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God."      Possibly  you  may  have   thought    that 
the   outward  form   of  Baptism   is   a   matter  of  crfie  outfaatu 
little  or  no   moment,  and  that,  should  an  un-  of  isapUsm 
baptized  adult  have  sincere  repentance  and  faith,  b'J'fiafi)'  ""^^ 
his  forgiveness,  and  all  the  other  blessings  in-  cssmtiai  ia 
volved  in  admission  to   the   Church,  would  be  ofVmT^^'"" 
secure,  even  mthout  Baptism.     But  surely  this 
view  is  framed  upon  our  speculations  of  what 
God   is   likely  to  do,  rather  than  on  what  He 
gives  us   reason   to   think   He   will   do.     What 
said  Ananias   to   Saul    of    Tarsus    after    Saul's 
sincere   conversion  ?      "  And   now   why   tarriest 
thou?"  (as  much  as  to  say.  There  is  no  time  to 
be  lost ;)  "  arise,  and  be  baptized,  and  wash  away 
thy  sins,  calling  on  the  name  of  the  Lord."     "  Be 
baptized,  and  wash  away  thy  sins."     But  how  ? 

Priest  then  pronounces  that  the  married  couple  are  '  man 
and  wife  together,'  so  here  he  j)ronounces  that  the  baptized 
child  has  become  one  of  the  congregation  of  Christ's  flock. 
This  is  made  still  more  evident  by  the  rubric  and  words  of 
the  Office  for  Private  Baptism,  '  .  .  .  then  shall  not  he 
chriaUa  the  child  again,  but  shall  receive  him  as  one  of  the 
flock  of  true  Christian  people,  saying  thus,  I  certify  you  .  .  . 
is  now  by  the  laver  of  Regeneration  in  Baptism  received 
into  the  number  of  the  children  of  God,  and  heirs  of  ever- 
lasting life.'  " — Blunt's  Annotated  Book  of  Common  Prayer, 
London,  18G6.     Note  on  p.  2*27.     Col.  1. 


ii6  The  Survey  of  Zions  [chap. 

bD  annnias's  Is  not  Saul  yet  for2;iven  then,  deep  as  his  re- 

titiortation  to  .         i       ,        ?  t 

St.  ipaui.      pentance  is,  absomtely  and  unconditionally  as  he 

has  surrendered  his  own  will  to  that  of  Christ, 

("  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?")  fervently 

as  he  has  cried  to  God  from  the  very  ground  of  a 

humbled  heart,  as  it  is  said  of  him,  "  Behold,  he 

Saul,  ffjmtgii  prayeth  "  ?     No ;  his  sins  are  yet  upon  him ;  he 

bcCs!  no't  has  yet  to  wash  them  away;  and  it  is  not  ob- 

f/toas"  "'^    scurely  intimated  to  him  by  God's  messenger  that 

baptnci.       ^i^ig  yj^^  Qj^ly  1-,^  jQj^y  -^^  ^l^g  laver  of  regeneration ; 

"  Arise,  and  be  baptized,  and  wash  away  thy  sins, 
calling  on  the  name  of  the  Lord," — counsel  ex- 
actly the  same  as  that  which  was  tendered  to  the 
anxious  inquirers  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  "  Ee- 
pent,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  remission  of  sins, 
and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 
And  this  effect  of  Baptism  is  so  fundamental  a 
truth  of  our  religion  that  it  forms  one  of  the 
STcBtimonu  of  Articles  of  the  Faith,  as  declared  at  Mecca  :  "  I  ac- 
crcrt'tD"iiic    knowledge  one  Baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins." 
iBaptom."^    If  it  be  objected,  as  it  may  be  and  has  been,  that 
the  one  man  of  whose  forgiveness  we  have .  the 
most  absolute  assurance, — the  penitent  malefactor 
©bfcctiDn      on  the  cross, — was  pardoned  and  accepted  without 
SJfcalc  of ?i3e  Baptism,  the  answer  is  really  very  much  the  same 
Sfaclor     as  if  it  were  asked  how  it  comes  to  pass  that 
Abraham,  and  Moses,  and  David  were  pardoned 
and  accepted  without  Baptism.     Baptism,  in  the 
full  sense  of  the  term.  Baptism  with  the  Holy 
Ghost,  was  not  formally  instituted  till  after  Christ's 
Eesurrection,  nor  actually  practised  until  the  day 
of  Pentecost.     "  The   Holy  Ghost  was   not   yet 


nnsoitrcti. 


IV.]     Towers,  Bulwarks,  and  Palaces.     1 1 7 

given,"  when  the  penitent  robher  hung  upon  tlie  jruii  fffiria- 
cross  ;  and  he  could  not  therefore  have  had  a  not  in  mat- 
l>aptism,  which  was  not  in  existence.     And  even  thcfiannf " 
had  it  been  in  existence,  he  coukl  have  found  no 
opportunity  (under  his  circumstances)  of  receiving 
it ;  and  surely  we  not  only  may,  hut  must  believe  Goti 
that,  where  there  is  really  no  possibility  of  com-  toft?ij|i3 
])lying  with  them,  God  will  dispense  even  with  subm  thcf' 
His  own  Ordinances.     The  normal  and  regular  ijai?" 
way  of  salvation,  since  the  effusion  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  is  by  "  one  Baptism 
for  the  remission  of  sins,"  accompanied  of  course, 
in  the  case  of  adults,  by  faith  in  the  recipient. 
That  God  never  in  any  instance  alters  or  modifies 
these  terms, — that,  in  cases  widely  different  from 
our  own,  He  may  not  apply  the  saving  merits  of 
Christ  by  other  means  than  Baptism  and  faith, 
so  as  to  extend  them  even  to  good  heathens,  who 
never  had  an  opportunity  of  hearing  of  Jesus, — 
this  it  would  be  presumptuous  in  a  high  degree 
to  assert.     These  were  His  terms  for  the  three 
thousand  convicted  hearers  at  Pentecost.     These 
were  His  terms  for  St.  Paul.     These   are    His 
terms  for  us ;  and  with  these  we  must  comply, 
as  we  value  our  salvation. 


And  here  we  must  stop  for  the  present  in  that 
walk  about  Zion,  in  the  course  of  which  we  are 
setting  ourselves,  according  to  the  exhortation  of 
Psalm  xlviii.,  to  "  tell  her  towers,"  "  mark  her 
bulwarks,"  and  "consider  her  palaces."  But 
not  without  a  word  of  reference  to  our  own 
circumstances.     For  that  branch  of  the  Church, 


ii8  The  Siirvey  of  ZMs         [chap. 

in  which  we  are  most  interested,  and  for  which 
we  ought  to  feel  (from  the  great  debt  which  we 
owe  to  her)  the  warmest  and  tenderest  filial  affec- 
tion, the  present  is  a  most  critical  and  anxious 
Ooubif  napfct  period.      A  reformed    Church,  which  yet  is  a 
offljnjjiarS^  Church  by  something  more  than  that    courtesy 
which  concedes  the  name  to  all  professedly  Chris- 
tian communities, — a  Church  which  stands  re- 
solutely upon  the  old  foundation  of  "  the  apostles 
and  prophets,"  and  which  yet  has  with  equal  re- 
anu  %  perils  solutcness  cleared  her  system  of  all  unscriptural 

ant)  liifEicul-  .  .  t     i 

licsrntaiuu    corruptions, — IS   peculiarly  exposed   to   risks,  in 
virtue  of  her  double  position.     That  position  of 
necessity  insures  for  her  two  classes  of  foes.    She 
is  disliked  by  those  who  cannot  show  the  same 
title-deeds,   or  pretend    to    the   same    spiritual 
ancestry,  with  herself.      She  is  equally  disliked 
by  those  who  have  no  sympathy  with  the  action 
which  she  took  at  the  Eeformation.     There  will 
always  be,  as  there  have  always  been,  two  parties 
in  her  bosom,  who  represent  respectively  her  con- 
nexion with  the  old  Foundation,  and   her  con- 
ggsra&affti    ncxion  with  the  Reformation ;  but  not  until  quite 
ti)cttoosrfat  recently  has  the  mutual   exasperation  of  these 
tif/ctutcb.'"  parties,  like  the  struggle  betw^een  the  infants  in 
Rebecca's  womb,  imperilled  the  existence  of  their 
common  mother.     Then,  just  as  this  struggle  is 
growing  desperate,  a  cry  is  raised,  by  those  who 
are  jealous  of  the  Church's  political  position,  for 
CTbecrsfor    her  disestablishment   and   disendowment — steps 
mfnt'anti  tis-  which,   if    Carried   into   effect,   would    certainly 
tnnotonunt.    ^g^^j^g^  j^gj,  already  feeble  powers  of  coherence, 
and  split  her  into  two  or  three  narrow  factions. 


IV.]     Toiva-s,  Bulwarks,  a7id  Palaces.     119 

While,  further  to  complicate  an  already  most  diffi- 
cult situation,  the  general  foe  of  all  goodness,  and 
righteousness,  and  truth, — the  foe  who  began  his 
communications  with   mankind  by  the  insinua- 
tion of  a  sceptical  doubt,  "  Yea,  hath  God  said  ?" 
and  proceeded  from  a  sceptical  doubt  to  a  flat  scfpticism 
infidel  denial,  "  Ye  sliall  not  surely  die," — now  ctlunh!'" 
no  longer   content  with   assaulting  the    Church  fffoufJ"T° 
from  without,  is  making  encroachments  within  ^"  '^^''''^"^• 
her  camp,  and  sapping  the  belief  of  her  children 
in  the  supernatural,  in  Eevelation,  nay,  in  the 
Personality  {i.e.  in  the  existence)  of  God. 

In  such  critical  circumstances,  what  shall  we 
do  ?     One  point  of  holy  policy  is,  that  our  clergy  crfje  citrgq 
should  endeavour  to  give  our  own  people  a  true  tiic'pcopffto 
insight  into  the  preciousness  of  the  spiritual  in-  SSffiaars  of 
heritance  which  in  the  English  Church  has  fallen  '^^^I'^X 
to  their  lot;  to  lead  them  to  appreciate  the  advan-  '^'J""'"^- 
tage  of  our  own  position  among  the  Communions 
of  Christendom, — a  position  at  once  Scriptural  and 
Catholic.    But  this  is  only  a  small  part  of  what  has 
to  be  done.     The  Church  must  be  saved  by  the 
love  and  loyalty  of  her  laity,  as  much  as  by  the 
exertions  of  her  ministers.     Show  your  value  for 
Bible  and  Prayer-Book  by  studying  them  more  z\t  laitj 
deeply,  and  comparing  them  more  thoughtfully.  Sr"s«{ia^ 
The  Bible  is  the  text  of  the  Church  of  England,  B^bK'" 
and    the    Prayer-Book    is   her   Commentary, — a  iJSiranu 
Commentary  (as  the  late  Professor  Blunt  has  most  "an^^"?!""' 
conclusively  shown  in  two  Sermons  before  the  "^^l^^^^ . 
University    of    Cambridge,    with    which    every 
Churchman    should   make    himself    acquainted) 
which  gives  us  faithfully  the  sense  of  the  Primi- 


I20  Catechism.  [chap. 

tive  Church  on  the  interpretation  of  Holy  Scrip- 
ture. And  last,  not  least,  cease  not  to  implore 
nnsnii  Him,  "  who  walketli  in  the  midst  of  the  seven 
implore  t})c  goldcu  caudlcsticks,"  that  He  would  not  remove 
?b"  cburct)  to  our  candlestick  out  of  his  place,  that  He  would 
canWcstik  a  preserve  our  own  heloved  Church  "  from  false 
a"siiinins"  Apostles,"  and  cause  her  to  be  "  guided  by  faithful 
'  and  true  pastors,"  that  He  would  make   her   a 

burning  and  shining  light — burning  with  love 
and  zeal  for  His  JSTame,  and  shining  with  the 
quiet  ray  of  a  holy  and  consistent  example.  Thus 
meeting  the  foes  leagued  against  us,  we  shall 
not  need  to  be  afraid  nor  dismayed  by  reason  of 
their  great  multitude ;  for  the  battle  will  not  be 
our's,  but  God's.  "  The  city  of  our  solemnities" 
shall  stand  unmolested,  as  if  surrounded  by  a 
broad  and  impassable  river.  "  Thine  eyes  shall 
see  Jerusalem  a  quiet  habitation,  a  tabernacle 
that  shall  not  be  taken  down;  not  one  of  the 
stakes  thereof  shall  ever  be  removed,  neither 
shall  the  cords  thereof  be  broken.  But  there  the 
glorious  Lord  will  be  unto  us  a  place  of  broad 
rivers  and  streams;  wherein  shall  go  no  galley 
with  oars,  neither  shall  gallant  ship  pass  there- 
by. For  the  Lord  is  our  judge,  the  Lord  is  our 
lawgiver,  the  Lord  is  our  king ;  He  wiU  save  us." 


Caterhiam  0n  CThnir.  113. 

1.  Question. — To  what  part  of  Jewish  history  does 
Psalm  xlviii.  refer  ? 
A^iswer. — Probably  to  the  reign  of  King  Jehosha- 
phat,  when  the  kings  of  Moab,   Ammou,  and  Edom 


IV.]  Catechism.  121 

invauod  the  territory  of  JuJali, — a  confederacy  to 
which  reference  is  made  in  verse  4  :  '"  Lo,  the  kings  were 
assembled."     (See  2  Chron.  xx.  1,  10,  22,  23.) 

2.  Qaestion. — How  was  this  invasion  frustrated  ? 
Answer. — Jehoshaphat  and  all  his  people  asked  help 

of  the  Lord,  and  were  assured  by  a  prophet  that  their 
enemies  should  be  discomfited  without  their  striking  a 
blow ;  which  came  to  pass  on  the  morrow  ;  for  when 
the  singers  that  went  before  the  Jewish  army  began  to 
praise  God,  a  panic  seized  the  confederate  kings,  who 
turned  their  arms  against  one  another,  and  fled  in  trepi- 
dation. To  this  flight  those  words  of  the  Psalm  refer  : 
"  They  saw  it,  and  so  they  marvelled ;  they  were 
troubled,  and  hasted  away.  Fear  took  hold  upon  them 
there,  and  pain,  as  of  a  woman  in  travail."  (Verses  5 
and  6.)     (See  2  Chron.  sx.  5,  0,  14,  17,  21-24.) 

3.  Question. — But  to  what  do  verses  12  and  13  refer  : 

"  Walk  about  Zion,  and  go  round  about  her :  tell 
the  towers  thereof.     Mark  ye  well  her  bulwarks, 
consider  her  palaces  ;  that  ye  may  tell  it  to  the 
generation  following  "  ? 
Answer. — To  the  fact,  that  the  panic  seized  the  con- 
federate kings,  when  they  first  caught  sight  of  the  towers, 
bulwarks,  and  palaces  of  the  Holy  City.     So  that  what 
was  afterwards  said  of  Sennacherib's  invasion,  might 
have  been  said  of  theirs  :  "  The  virgin,  the  daughter  of 
Zion,  hath  despised  thee,  and  laughed  thee  to  scorn  ; 
the  daughter  of  Jerusalem  hath  shaken  her  head  at 
thee."     (Isaiah  xxxvii.  22.) 

4.  Question. — What  is  the  Christian  application  of  the 

words — "  Walk  about  Zion,  and  go  round  about 

her,"  etc.  ? 
Answer.— 0\xx  Zion  is  the  Church  of  Christ,  of  which 
the  Holy  City  was  but  a  figure  ;  and  accordingly  these 
words  of  the  Psalm  will  convey  an  admonition  to  survey 
and  study  the  constitution  of  the  Church,  the  provision 
which  she  makes  for  the  spiritual  life,  and  the  defences 
which  God  has  thrown  around  her. 


122  Catechism.  [chap. 

5.  Question. — "What  then  is  it  proposed  to  do  in  the 

present  Chapter  ? 
A^isiver. — We  propose  to  go  round  about  the  walls 
of  the  Christian  Church,  as  it  were  on  a  tour  of  observa- 
tion. 

6.  Question. — What  was  the  order  observed  by  God 
in  the  creation  of  man  ? 

Ansiver. — His  body  was  first  formed  of  the  dust  of 
the  ground — a  body,  as  the  Psalmist  says,  "  fearfully 
and  wonderfully  made  "  (Psalm  cxxxix.  14) ;  and  this 
body  having  been  prepared,  the  breath  of  lives  was 
afterwards  breathed  into  it.     (See  Gen.  ii.  7.) 

7.  Question. — Was  an  order  similar  to  this  observed 

in  the  creation  of  the  Church  ? 
Ansiver. — Yes.  Christ  may  be  said  to  have  framed 
the  body  of  the  Church,  when  in  the  days  of  His  flesh 
He  gathered  disciples  round  Him.  He  gave  this  body 
an  organization  and  a  particular  structure,  when  He 
traced  out  the  institutions  and  powers  of  the  Church. 
And  the  body  of  the  Church  having  been  framed  and 
prepared  beforehand,  the  Holy  Ghost  descended  into  it 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  to  animate  it  with  the  Divine 
life. 


ion. — During  what   period  particularly,  did 
our  Lord  organize  His  Church,  and  trace  out  the 
various  features  of  it  ? 
Answer. —  During    the    forty   days  which    elapsed 
between  His  Eesurrection  and  Ascension. 

9.  Question. — What  great  objects  were  answered  by 
this  period  of  forty  days  ? 
Ansiver.— Christ  was  seen  alive  for  forty  days  after 
His  Resurrection,  for  the  more  confirmation  of  the  Faith. 
It  was  God's  design  to  put  the  fact  of  His  Resurrection 
beyond  all  question.  It  was  necessary,  therefore,  that 
the  risen  Saviour  should  appear  on  several  occasions,  to 
several  persons,  and  under  diff"erent  circumstances  ;  and 
all  this  required  a  considerable  space  of  time. 


IV.]  Catechism.  123 

10.  Question. — Can  you  quote  any  text  of  Scripture  to 
show  that  the  forty  days  were  designed  to  afford 
unquestionable  evidence  of  the  Resurrection  ? 

Ansioer. — Yes.  St.  Luke,  speaking  of  the  Apostles, 
says,  "  To  whom  also  he  shewed  himself  alive  after 
his  passion  by  many  infallible  proofs,  being  seen  of 
them  forty  days  "  (Acts  i.  3). 

11.  Question. — What  words  immediately  follow  those 
you  have  just  quoted,  and  to  what  other  aspect  of 
the  forty  days  do  they  point  ? 

Ansiver. — "  And  speaking  of  the  things  pertaining  to 
the  kingdom  of  God."  The  kingdom  of  God  is  the 
kingdom  set  up  by  "  the  God  of  heaven  "  in  the  days  of 
the  fourth  or  lloman  Empire  (see  Dan.  ii.  44);  that  is, 
the  Christian  Church.  "We  are  led  to  suppose,  there- 
fore, that  during  this  period  our  Blessed  Lord  was 
engaged  in  tracing  the  outline  of  His  Church,  in  sowing 
the  seeds  of  Church  Offices,  Church  Institutions,  and 
Church  Sacraments,  which  seeds  were  to  be  afterwards 
unfolded  by  His  Apostles.  Christ,  like  a  wise  master- 
builder,  was  tracing  out  the  foundations  of  His  Church 
during  this  period. 

12.  Catechist. — You  said  that  the  Apostles  in  after  times 
unfolded  the  seeds  that  Christ  had  sown.  Can  you 
give  any  instance  of  their  doing  so  ? 

Ansive): — Yes.  Christ  instituted  the  Ministry  of 
His  Church,  when  He  breathed  upon  the  Apostles  and 
said,  "  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost,"  etc.  (see  St.  John 
XX.  22,  23.)  The  Apostles  developed  this  institution 
of  the  Ministry,  when  they  appointed  the  seven 
Deacons  to  relieve  them  of  the  secular  part  of  their 
work ;  see  Acts  vi.  3,  4,  5,  6.  So  again,  Christ  gave 
to  His  Church  the  power  of  binding  and  loosing  (see 
St.  Matt,  xviii.  17, 18).  The  Apostles  acted  under  this 
power,  when  they  called  a  council  to  decide  whether  or 
not  the  Gentile  converts  should  be  subject  to  the  cere- 
monial law,  and  issued  a  decree,  loosing  them  from 
circumcision,  and  other  ceremonial  observances,  but 
binding  them  to  abstain  from  pollutions  of  idols,  and 


124  Catechism.  [chap. 

from  fornication,  and  from  things  strangled,  and  from 
blood  (Acts  XV.  19,  20,  28,  29). 

13.  CatecMst. — In  observing  how  Christ  traced  the 
foundations  of  the  Church,  the  first  thing  which 
we  have  to  look  for  is  the  charter  of  the  Church's 
foundation.     Where  do  we  find  it? 

Aoisiver. — In  the  following  words,  taken  from  St. 
Matthew  xviii.  19,  20  :  "  Again  I  say  unto  you,  That  if 
two  of  you  shall  agree  on  earth  as  touching  any  thing 
that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  for  them  of  my 
Father  which  is  in  heaven.  For  where  two  or  three 
are  gathered  together  in  my  name,  there  am  I  in  the 
midst  of  them." 

14.  Question. — How  do  you  know  that  these  words 
refer  to  the  Church  ? 

Answer. — Because  in  the  immediately  preceding 
context,  to  which  the  word  "  Again  "  refers  us  back, 
our  Lord  has  been  speaking  expressly  of  His  Church, 
and  of  the  powers  of  excommunication  and  absolution 
with  which  He    designed  to    endow  her ;   see   verses 

15.  16,  17,  18  :  "Moreover  if  thy  brother  shall  tres- 
pass against  thee,  go  and  tell  him  his  fault  between 
thee  and  him  alone :  if  he  shall  hear  thee,  thou  hast 
gained  thy  brother.  But  if  he  will  not  hear  thee,  then 
take  with  thee  one  or  two  more,  that  in  the  mouth  of 
two  or  three  witnesses  every  word  may  be  established. 
And  if  he  shall  neglect  to  hear  them,  tell  it  unto  the 
church  :  but  if  he  neglect  to  hear  the  church,  let  him 
be  unto  thee  as  an  heathen  man  and  a  publican.  Verily 
I  say  unto  you,  AVhatsoever  ye  shall  bind  on  earth 
shall  be  bound  in  heaven  :  and  whatsoever  ye  shall 
loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven." 

15.  Question. — What  two  things  do  we  discover  in  the 
verses  now  under  consideration  ? 
Ansiver. — First,  the  institution  of  the  Ordinance  of 
United  Prayer,  ver.  19  :  "  If  two  of  you  shall  agree  on 
earth  as  touching  any  thing  that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall 
be  done  for  them  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 
Secondly,  the  charter  which  declares  what  the  Church 


IV,]  Catechism.  125 

is, — namely,  an  assembly  of  believers  gathered  together 
in  Christ's  Name, — and  annexes  to  such  an  assembly 
the  promise  of  His  Presence  :  "  For  where  two  or  three 
are  gathered  together  in  my  name,  there  am  I  in  the 
midst  of  them." 

10.  Question. — How   does   the  Church   endeavour  to 

secure  the  agreement   among  worshippers,  upon 

which  the  answer  to  United  Prayer  is  suspended? 

Ansivcr. — By   a   Form    of    Common   Prayer,    with 

which  all  may  acquaint  themselves  beforehand,  and  in 

the  oficring  of  which  all  may  unite  with  heart  and 

voice. 

17.  Catechist. — You  said  that  the  Church  is  declared 
by  Christ  to  be  an  assembly  of  disciples  gathered 
together  in  His  Name.  Docs  this  declaration 
harmonize  with  our  Lord's  teaching  and  example  ? 

Ansivcr. — llemarkably  so.  It  harmonizes  with  His 
teaching;  for  He  constantly  enjoined  mutual  love,  and 
said  that  it  was  the  badge  by  which  His  disciples 
should  be  known  :  "A  new  commandment  I  give  unto 
you.  That  ye  love  one  another ;  as  I  have  loved  you, 
that  ye  also  love  one  another.  By  this  shall  all  men 
know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to 
another"  (St.  John  xiii.  34,  35).  It  harmonizes  also 
with  His  example  and  manner  of  life,  which  was  social, 
and  not  (like  John  the  Baptist's  way  of  life,  or  Elijah's) 
withdrawn  from  the  haunts  of  men.  "  The  Lord 
Jesus  went  in  and  out  among  us  "  (Acts  i.  21) ;  He 
accepted  invitations  (St.  Luke  vii.  36) ;  attended  wed- 
dings (St.  John  ii.  2) ;  was  found  in  the  way  of  funeral 
processions  (St.  Luke  vii.  12,  13);  and  testified  of 
Himself,  "  I  spake  openly  to  the  world ;  I  ever  taught 
in  the  synagogue,  and  in  the  temple,  whither  the  Jews 
always  resort;  and  in  secret  have  I  said  nothing." 
(St.  John  xviii.  20.) 

18.  Question. — "What  pledge  did  o\ir  Lord  give  to  His 
Church  that  He  would  be  mindful  of  His  promise 
to  be  in  the  midst  of  the  two  or  three  gathered 
together  in  His  Name  ? 


126  Catechism.  [chap. 

Answer. — After  His  Resurrection,  when  the  little 
flock  of  disciples  was  gathered  together  in  His  Name, 
having  shut  the  doors  upon  the  unbelieving  world, 
"came  Jesus  and  stood  in  the  midst,  and  saith  unto 
them,  Peace  be  unto  you "  (St.  John  xx.  19).  And 
this  happened  on  more  than  one  occasion.  (See  St.  John 
XX.  26;  see  also  St.  Lvike  xxiv.  13,  14,  15,  36,  etc.) 

19.  CatecMst. — We  have  found,  in  this  promise  to 
the  two  or  three  gathered  together  in  Christ's 
Name,  the  earliest  germ  of  the  Christian  Church, 
and  of  one  great  Ordinance  of  it,  United  Prayer. 
We  must  now  inquire  how  new  members  were  to 
be  grafted  into  this  Society  thus  founded ;  for,  as 
you  pointed  out  in  a  previous  examination,  no 
one  can  put  himself  into  a  society ;  he  must  be 
admitted  into  it  according  to  its  rules,  by  those 
who  are  members  already.  Where  shall  we  find 
the  rules  of  admission  into  His  Church,  which 
Christ  laid  down  ? 

Ansiocr. — In  the  five  last  verses  of  St.  Matthew's 
Grospel,  which  run  thus  :  "16.  Then  the  eleven  disciples 
went  away  into  Galilee,  into  a  mountain  where  Jesus 
had  appointed  them.  17.  And  when  they  saw  him,  they 
worshipped  him:  but  some  doubted.  18.  And  Jesus  came 
and  spake  unto  them,  saying,  All  power  is  given  unto 
me  in  heaven  and  in  earth.  19.  Go  ye  therefore,  and 
teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and   of  the    Son,   and   of  the   Holy  Ghost: 

20.  Teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I 
have  commanded  you :  and,  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.     Amen." 

20.  Question. — Is  there  reason  to  suppose  that  other 
disciples  besides  "  the  eleven "  were  present  at 
this  interview  ? 

Answer. — Yes.  It  is  generally  thought  that  this  was 
the  interview  referred  to  by  St.  Paul,  when  he  says : 
"  After  that,  he  was  seen  of  above  five  hundred  breth- 
ren at  once  "  (1  Cor.  xv.  6). 

21.  Question, — Of  what  words   does   this   supposition 


IV.]  Catechism.  127 

offer  an  easy  explanation,  which  else  might  pre- 
sent a  little  difficulty  ? 
Aiuxcer. — Of  the  words  in  vcr.  17,  where  it  is  said 
that  "some  doubted."  The  "  some,"  who  "doubted," 
may  have  been  persons  on  the  outskirts  of  the  crowd, 
who  could  not  at  first  command  a  good  view  of  the 
Lord. 

22.  Question. — But  if  it  was  indeed  the  case  that  more 
than  five  hundred  disciples  were  present,  why  does 
St.  Matthew  only  mention  the  eleven?  (ver.  17.) 

Ansivcr. — Because  he  would  have  us  understand  that 
the  words  of  Christ  which  he  gives  us,  and  which  con- 
tain the  commission  to  evangelize  the  world,  were 
spoken  only  to  the  eleven,  the  representatives  of  the 
whole  body.  It  was  not  every  one  of  those  five  hun- 
dred, who  was  bidden  to  go  forth  to  the  heathen  with 
the  Gospel  message,  and  to  bring  them  into  the 
Church. 

23.  Question. — "Where  is  it  predicted  in  the  Book  of 

Psalms  that  the  risen  Saviour  should  claim  for 
Himself,  as  given  to  Him  by  God,  an  authority 
over  the  Gentiles? 
A)hsicer.  In  the  second  Psalm,  verses  7  and  8,  we  read : 
"  I  will  declare  the  decree :  the  Lord  hath  said  unto 
me,  Thou  art  my  Son ;  this  day  have  I  begotten  thee. 
Ask  of  me,  and  I  shall  give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine 
inlieritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for 
thy  possession."  The  "begetting"  of  the  Son  means 
here  the  raising  Him  from  the  dead,  as  we  see  from 
Acts  xiii.  32,  33 :  "  And  we  declare  unto  you  glad 
tidings,  how  that  the  promise  which  was  made  unto  the 
fathers,  God  hath  fulfilled  the  same  unto  us  their  chil- 
dren, in  that  he  hath  raised  up  Jesus  again ;  as  it  is 
also  written  in  the  second  psalm,  Thou  art  my  Son, 
this  day  have  I  begotten  thee ;  "  and  also  from  llev.  i. 
5,  and  Col.  i.  18,  where  Christ  is  called  "  the  first 
begotten  of  the  dead,"  "the  firstborn  from  the  dead." 
Having  been  thus  begotten  from  the  dead,  our  Lord 
here  claims  the  heathen  for  His  inheritance,  and  the 


128  Catechism.  [chap. 

uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  His  possession,  by 
sending  His  Apostles  to  bring  them  to  the  obedience 
of  faith,  and  to  admit  them  into  His  Kingdom,  the 
Church. 

24.  Question. — Why  was  "  a  mountain"  (ver.  16)   an 
appropriate  scene  for  such  a  commission  as  this  ? 

Ansiver. — Because  a  mountain  is  a  lofty  and  exposed 
place,  around  which  the  four  winds  of  Heaven  per- 
petually blow.  There  was  a  freedom  and  universality 
in  this  message ;  "  Go  ye  and  teach  all  the  nations,"  or 
(as  St.  Mark  has  it,  chap.  xvi.  15)  "  Go  ye  into  all 
the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature," 
■which  made  a  mountain  a  very  suitable  spot  for  its 
delivery. 

25.  Question. — What  is  the  marginal  translation  given 

in  the  English  Bible  of  the  word  "  teach,"  in  "  Go 
ye  and  teach  all  nations  "  ? 
Answer. — Make     disciples,    or.     Christians     of    all 
nations. 

20.  Question. — And  how  were  the  Apostles  to  do  this? 
Ansu-cr. — They  were  to  do  it  to  others  in  much  the 
same  way  as  their  Master  had  done  it  to  themselves. 
They  had  been  arrested  by  the  sight  of  His  miracles, 
and  led  to  pay  attention  to  His  words.  These  words 
had  exerted  a  great  power  over  them ;  they  listened 
eagerly,  and  became  deeply  interested,  and  assured  that 
He  who  spake  such  words  must  be  an  ambassador  from 
God,  with  a  message  of  hope  and  grace  to  men.  They 
were  to  go  forth  with  similar  words,  announcing  to  all 
mankind  the  forgiveness  of  sins  through  Christ,  and 
exhorting  to  repentance  and  faith.  And  to  insure  their 
words  being  listened  to,  they  were  to  have  the  miracu- 
lous powers  which  their  Master  had,  at  the  outset  of 
their  mission. 

27.  Question. — What  Ordinance  of  the  Church,  then, 
did  our  Lord  institute,  when  He  bade  His  Apostles 
go  and  make  disciples  of  all  nations  ? 
Answer. — Missionary  Preaching,  the  heralding  of  the 


IV.]  Catechism.  129 

Kingdom  of  God  and  the  Name  of  Jesus  among  the 
heathen,  who  have  never  heard  of  God  or  Christ. 

28.   Que.it ioji. — And  when  the  preaching  has  done  its 
work,  and  the  heathen  have  been  brought  by  it  to 
believe  in  Christ,  how  are  they  then  formally  to  be 
"admitted   into   the   fellowship   of   Christ's   Re- 
ligion "  ? 
Answer. — This  must  be  done  by  the  Holy  Sacrament 
of  Baptism,  which  our  Lord  here  institutes   in   these 
words  :   "•  Teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 
The  more  exact  translation  of  which  would  be,  "Make 
disciples  of  all  the  nations  [by]  baptizing  them  into  the 
name,"  etc. 

'29.   Question. — Why  is  the  word  "name"  in  the  singu- 
lar number,  though  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost  arc  all  mentioned  ? 
Answer. — To  show  that  there  is  but  One  God,  al- 
though there  are  three  Persons  in  the  Godhead. 

80.  Question. — How  does  our  Lord  prescribe  that  the 
Baptism  of  new  converts  shall  be  followed  up  ? 
Ansv^er. — By  Christian  teaching.  His  Apostles  were 
directed  not  only  to  baptize  the  heathen  into  the  Name 
of  the  Holy  Trinity,  but  also  to  teach  them  to  observe 
all  things  whatsoever  Christ  had  commanded. 

31.   Question. — What  trace  of  this  direction  may  be 
found  in  the  Office  for  "  the  Ministration  of  Public 
Baptism  of  Infants  "  ? 
Answer. — As  soon  as  the  Infant  has  been  baptized, 
and  has  been  declared  to  be  regenerate,   and  grafted 
into  the  body  of  Christ's  Church,  and  after  thanks  have 
been  given  unto  Almighty  God  for  these  benefits,  the 
Priest  is  directed  to  address  the  Godfathers  and  God- 
mothers thus  :  "Ye  must  remember  that  it  is  your  parts 
and  duties  to  see  that  tliis  Jii/ant  be  taught,  so  soon  as 
he  shall  be  able  to  learn,  what  a  solemn  vow,  promise, 
and  profession    he   hath  made  by  you.     And  that  he 
may  know  these  things  the  better,  ye  sh.\ll  call  upon 
I 


1 30  Catechism.  [chap. 

niM  TO  HEAR  SERMONS  ;    AND  CHIEFLY  YE  SHALL  PROVIDE, 
THAT    HE    MAY  LEARN    THE  CrEED,  THE    LoRD's  PrAYER, 

AND  THE  Ten  Commandments,  in  the  vulgar  tongue, 

AND  ALL    OTHER    THINGS    WHICH    A    CHRISTIAN    OUGHT  TO 
KNOW  AND  BELIEVE  TO  HIS  SOUL's  HEALTH." 

32.  Qtiestion. — What  two  Ordinances  does  our  Lord 
institute,  wlien  He  bids  His  Apostles  teach  the 
people  they  had  baptized  to  observe  all  things 
whatsoever  He  had  commanded  them  ? 

Ansiver. — The  instruction  of  Christian  congregations 
in  Divine  Truth,  and  the  religious  education  of  the 
young, 

33.  Question. — How  does  it  appear  that  the  instruction 
of  Christians  in  Divine  Truth  is  a  thing  of  a  differ- 
ent character  from  preacbing  to  the  heathen  ? 

Answer. — Because  two  different  words  are  used  to 
express  it.  The  preaching  to  the  heathen  is  called  {as 
here)  "  making  disciples  of  them,"  "  preaching  (or 
heralding)  the  gospel  to  them"  (St.  Mark  xvi.  15). 
The  instruction  of  Christians  is  called  "  a  teaching 
them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  Christ  commanded 
His  disciples."  The  names  being  so  different,  we  con- 
clude that  there  is  a  difference  in  the  things. 

34.  Question. — If  the  regular  religious  instruction  of 
Christians,  to  which  we  commonly  give  the  name 
of  Preaching,  be  an  Ordinance  appointed  by  the 
Lord  Himself,  can  it  be  right  to  sneer  at  preachers, 
and  express  great  weariness  of  sermons  ? 

Ansioer. — Certainly  not.  To  feel  Grod's  Ordinances 
to  be  irksome  must  surely  indicate  a  wrong  state  of 
mind.  This  was  the  sin  of  those  of  old,  who  said; 
"  When  will  the  new  moon  be  gone,  that  we  may  sell 
corn  ?  and  the  sabbath,  that  we  may  set  forth  wheat  ?  " 
(Amos  viii.  5.)  And  "  The  table  of  the  Lord  is  pol- 
luted ;  and  the  fruit  thereof,  even  his  meat,  is  con- 
temptible. .  .  .  Behold,  what  a  weariness  is  it  !"  (Mai. 
i.  12,  13.)  And  in  the  New  Testament  we  are  warned 
against  a  similar  state  of  mind  in  reference  to  preach- 
ing :  "  The  time  will  come  when  they  will  not  endure 


IV.]  Catechism.  131 

sound  doctrine ;  but  after  their  own  lusts  shall  they 
heap  to  themselves  teachers,  having  itching  ears  ;  and 
they  shall  turn  away  their  ears  from  the  truth,  and  shall 
be  turned  unto  fables  "  (2  Tim.  iv.  3,  4). 

35.  Catecliist.—XoM.  said  that  the  words  *'  teaching 
them  to  observe  all  things,"  embraced  not  only 
what  we  call  Preaching  (that  is,  the  religious  in- 
struction of  adults),  but  also  the  education  of 
children  in  the  principles  of  Divine  Truth.  How 
can  you  prove  this  ? 

An&wcr. — Our  Lord  must  have  foreseen  that  His 
Church,  under  the  inspired  guidance  of  His  Apostles, 
would  uniformly  practise  Infant  Baptism.  He  must 
have  known  that,  after  the  first  establishment  of  His 
Church  in  any  country,  all  the  people  of  that  country 
would  receive  Baptism  as  unconscious  babes.  And 
therefore,  when  He  prescribes  that  Christian  teaching 
shall  always  follow  Baptism,  He  must  have  had  in  His 
thoughts  the  training  of  the  young  in  the  rudiments  of 
Christian  faith  and  practice. 

36.  Question. — Christ,  then,  having  put  Christian  Edu- 
cation into  very  close  connexion  with  Baptism, 
what  sin  do  those  commit  who  are  not  careful  to 
follow  up  the  Baptism  of  children  with  religious 
teaching  ? 

Aimver. — The  sin  of  those  who  put  asunder  what 
God  has  joined  together  (see  St.  Mark  x.  9).  And  who 
knows  but  that  the  neglect  of  a  child's  religious  train- 
ing, the  failure  to  bring  him  up  in  the  nurture  and 
admonition  of  the  Lord,  may  be  the  reason  why  Holy 
Baptism  never  seems  to  take  in  him  its  full  eflfect  ? 

37.  Catechist. — You  have  already  quoted  the  charge  to 
see  that  the  child  is  religiously  educated,  which  is 
given  to  the  Sponsors  in  the  Baptismal  Service. 
This  charge  is  really  given  by  Christ,  who  acts  and 
speaks  through  the  ministry  of  His  ordained  ser- 
vants. To  what  charge  given  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment may  you  compare  it? 

Answer. — To   that  which  was  given   by  Pharaoh's 


12,2  Catechism.  [chap. 

daughter  to  the  mother  of  Moses  :  "  Take  this  child 
away,  and  nurse  it  for  me,  and  I  will  give  thee  thy 
wages  "  (Exod.  ii.  9).  The  baptized  child,  having  been 
made  a  member  of  Christ's  kingdom,  is  given  back  to 
its  parents,  to  be  by  them  reared  for  the  glorious  in- 
heritance of  that  kingdom,  and  for  the  King  thereof, 
who  has  just  blessed  and  washed  it  in  the  laver  of 
regeneration. 

38.  Question. — From  what  other  passage  of  the  New 
Testament  besides  that  now  before  us  (St.  Matt. 
xxviii.  20)  may  we  gather  that  the  religious  in- 
struction of  children  is  part  of  the  work  intrusted 
by  Christ  to  the  Ministers  of  His  Church  ? 

Ansioer. — From  the  charge  given  to  St.  Peter  after 
the  Resurrection  to  feed  Christ's  lambs  as  well  as  His 
sheep,  St.  John  xxi.  15  :  "  So  when  they  had  dined, 
Jesus  saith  to  Simon  Peter,  Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest 
thou  me  more  than  these  ?  He  saith  unto  him,  Yea, 
Lord  ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.  He  saith  unto 
him,  Feed  my  lambs." 

39.  Question. — If  Christ  prescribed  that  His  little  ones 
should  be  taught  all  things  whatsoever  He  com- 
manded His  disciples,  can  any  plan  of  Education 
be  right,  of  which  the  teaching  of  the  things  which 
He  commanded  does  not  form  any  part  ? 

Ansiaer. — Evidently  not.  In  order  that  they  may 
rightly  and  fully  understand  the  things  which  Christ 
commanded  His  disciples,  children  will  need  to  be 
taught  other  things,  such  as  reading,  and  the  rudiments 
of  general  knowledge.  And  they  must  also  be  taught 
to  get  their  living.  But  these  other  branches  of  know- 
ledge are  principally  valuable  for  the  sake  of  the  great 
end,  which  is  to  make  them  wise  unto  salvation,  and  to 
enable  them  to  serve  God  in  their  calling,  whatever  it 
may  be.  Therefore  to  teach  them  nothing  but  to  read, 
write,  and  sum,  and  earn  their  bread,  is  to  stop  short 
of  the  great  end  for  which  we  teach  them  anything. 

40.  Catochist. — But  the  New  Testament  contains  all 
that  Christ  commanded  us.     WiU  it  not  therefore 


IV.]  Catechism.  133 

be  quite  enough  if,  when  they  can  read,  they  arc 
made  to  read  the  Bible,  and  left  very  much  to 
themselves  to  gather  the  meaning  of  it? 
Am^wer. — No.  Christ  commanded  that  His  Min- 
isters should  teach  the  people.  And  in  the  words 
before  us  He  constitutes  His  Church  a  teaching  Society, 
and  gives  her  a  commission  to  teach.  If  we  set  aside 
His  commission,  and  say  that,  because  we  have  the 
Scriptures,  we  can  do  without  it,  we  are  in  the  arro- 
gance of  our  hearts  dispensing  with  the  very  aid  which 
He  has  provided  to  guide  us  into  all  truth,  and  we 
cannot  expect  His  blessing  on  the  education  of  our 
children.  Besides,  no  one  ever  did  or  could  gather 
the  true  meaning  of  Holy  Scripture  without  some 
human  instruction.  To  understand  anything  of  any 
book,  a  child  must  ask  frequently  to  have  it  explained. 
The  question  is,  who  is  to  give  the  explanation? — a 
minister  of  Christ's  Church,  who  will  give  it  after  the 
mind  of  the  Church,  and  under  the  Church's  sanction  : 
or  a  person  who  perhaps  feels  an. interest  in  the  Bible 
as  a  piece  of  literature,  but  has  no  fixed  settled  faith  in 
the  doctrines  which  the  Church  has  drawn  out  of  the 
Bible,  and  has  summed  up  in  her  Creeds,  and  Articles, 
and  Formularies? 

41.  Question. — Will  you  now  reckon  up  the  institu- 
tions, of  which  we  have  found  the  earliest  traces 
in  these  two  passages  of  St.  Matthew's  Gospel? 

Ansiver. — They  are  these :  the  Christian  Society, 
United  Prayer,  Missionary  Preaching,  Holy  l^aptism. 
Preaching  in  the  Christian  Congregation,  Religious 
Education.  These  things  are  all  really  found  here, 
although  in  their  earliest  germ,  just  as  the  oak  is  really 
found  in  the  acorn,  and  unfolded  out  of  it. 

42.  Question. — What  part  of  the  great  commission 
issued  by  Christ  to  His  Apostles  assures  us  that  it 
was  given  not  to  themselves  only,  but  to  their 
successors  ? 

Anstver. — The  end  of  it,  in  which  He  assures  them, 
"  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the 


1 34  Catechism.  [chap. 

world."  Our  Lord  must  have  known  that  the  Apostles 
would  not  live  "  unto  the  end  of  the  world ;"  and  there- 
fore must  have  addressed  Himself,  not  merely  to  the 
eleven  men  who  surrounded  Him  at  the  time,  but  to 
all  who  should  hereafter  succeed  them  in  their  office 
and  ministry,  even  down  to  the  latest  generations  of 
mankind. 

43.  Question. — What  is  the  force  of  the  "  Amen,"  with 
which  this  solemn  assurance  concludes? 

Answer. — Like  a  seal  affixed  to  a  monarch's  charter, 
it  confirms  the  charter  to  which  it  is  affixed.  Our  Lord 
calls  Himself  "  the  Amen,  the  faithful  and  true  wit- 
ness," in  Rev.  iii.  14 ;  and,  while  on  earth,  He  used  to 
prefix  His  more  solemn  and  weighty  sayings  with  the 
words  "  Verily,  verily,"  which  are  in  the  original 
"  Amen,  amen  " — see  St.  John  viii.  34,  51 ;  x.  1 ;  xiii. 
16,  20,  21 ;  xiv.  12 ;  xvi.  20,  28 ;  v.  19,  24,  25,  etc. 
etc.  The  "  Amen,"  therefore,  at  the  end  of  this  com- 
mission is,  in  a  manner,  a  swearing  by  Himself,  as  if 
He  would  say :  "  As  I  am  the  Truth,  and  as  my  word 
is  true,  I  will  be  with  you,  and  with  those  who  succeed 
you  in  your  office  of  ministering  God's  Word  and 
Sacraments,  unto  the  end  of  Time." 

44.  Question. — But  have  there  not  been  times,  when  the 
Church  has  seemed  so  overrun  by  superstitions 
and  grievous  abuses,  and  Christianity  has  been 
so  corrupted  by  the  traditions  of  men,  that  the 
one  retained  hardly  a  feature  of  the  Society  which 
Christ  founded,  and  the  other  could  hardly  be 
recognised  as  the  Religion  which  Christ  taught? 
Has  Christ's  promise  of  being  with  His  Church  to 
the  end  of  the  world  failed  at  such  periods? 

Answer. — No ;  His  promise  can  never  fail.  Hath 
He  said,  and  shall  He  not  do  it?  or  hath  He  spoken, 
and  shall  He  not  make  it  good  ?  Christ  is  not  always 
absent,  when  He  does  not  exert  His  power.  He  gave 
no  signs  of  His  Presence,  when  He  lay  asleep  in  the 
ship ;  yet  He  was  really  there,  and  it  needed  only  the 
cries  of  the  Apostles  to  rouse  Him,  and  make  Him 


IV.]  CatccJiism.  135 

interpose  for  their  safety,  (See  St.  ]\Iark  iv.  35-40.)  In 
like  manner  He  has  souietinies  sufl'ered  His  Church  to 
be  overwhehned  with  errors  and  corruptions,  and 
threatened  even  with  destruction,  that  He  might  induce 
His  true  people  to  cry  to  Him  to  save  His  own  ark. 
Even  in  the  darkest  and  worst  periods  of  her  history, 
the  Church  has  rallied  from  her  disorders,  has  shaken 
off  her  corruptions,  has  purged  herself,  has  thrown  oif 
her  superstitions,  and  set  herself  again  to  her  task  of 
witnessing  for  God  in  the  midst  of  a  crooked  and  per- 
verse generation.  There  must  have  been  strength,  and 
a  principle  of  health  in  her,  to  make  such  a  recovery 
possible  ;  and  this  principle  of  health  and  strength  has 
been  the  covenanted  Presence  of  her  Master.  Snakes 
shed  their  old  skins,  deer  their  horns,  trees  their  leaves; 
but  it  is  only  to  clothe  themselves  with  new  skins,  to 
put  forth  new  horns,  to  sprout  with  new  leaves.  There 
is  life  in  each  of  them,  which  enables  them  to  throw 
off  the  old  dress,  and  put  on  a  new.  And  so,  when  the 
Church  threw  oflF  her  corruptions  and  abuses,  and  re- 
formed her  practice,  she  did  this  by  the  life  which  was 
in  her.  And  this  life  consisted  in  her  Master's  Presence 
with  her. 

45.  CatecJnst. — You  have  said  in  the  course  of  this 
examination,  that    Baptism  is  the  formal    act  of 
admission  to  the  Church  {Question  28).     But  is 
not  this  admission  rather  given  by  the  act  of  sign- 
ing  the   person   baptized  with   the   sign   of  the 
Cross,  when  the  Priest  is  instructed  to  say,  "  We 
receive  this  child  "  {or^  this  person)  "  into  the  con- 
gregation of  Christ's  flock  "  ? 
Answer. — No;    we  are   clearly  taught  in  St.  John 
iii.  5,  that  entrance  into  the  kingdom  of  God  (which  is 
the  Church)  is  hy  water  and  the  Spirit.     And  the  same 
truth  is  symbolized  by  the  ancient  custom  of  placing 
the  baptismal  font  at  the  entrance  of  the  church.     The 
words  "We  admit  this  child,"  etc.,  mean  merely  that 
the  Christian  Society  solemnly  assents  to  the  admission, 
and  recognises  it  as  having  taken  place,  by  certain 
words,  and  by  the  use  of  an  outward  sign. 


136  Catechism.  [chap. 

46.  Question. — Is  Baptism,  then,  nothing  more  than 

the  formal  act  of  admission  to  the  Church  ? 
Answer. — Yes ;  much  more.  It  is  the  passage  out 
of  a  state  of  wrath  into  a  state  of  grace,  and  carries 
with  it  forgiveness  of  sins,  purchased  for  us  by  the 
Blood  of  Christ,  and  all  other  blessings  of  the  Christian 
Covenant. 

47.  Question. — But  would  not  Grod  certainly  forgive 
the  sins  of  a  repentant  and  believing  soul,  even 
without  Baptism  ? 

Ansiver. — There  is  no  reason  to  think  that  He  would 
do  so  ^vhere  Baptism  can  he  had  ;  but,  on  the  contrary, 
every  reason  to  think  He  would  not. 

48.  Question. — "What  passage  of  Holy  Scripture   are 

you  referring  to  ? 
Ansiver. — To  the  exhortation  given  by  Ananias  to 
St.  Paul  after  his  conversion:  "  Arise,  and  be  baptized, 
and  wash  away  thy  sins,  calling  on  the  name  of  the 
Lord  "  (Acts  xxii.  16).  St.  Paul  was  at  this  time 
deeply  penitent,  and  a  true  believer,  as  is  shown  by 
his  asking,  "  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ?  " 
(Acts  ix.  6) ;  by  his  fervent  prayers  (see  Acts  ix.  11) ; 
and  by  his  immediately  afterwards  preaching  Christ  in 
the  synagogues  as  the  Son  of  God  (see  Acts  ix.  20). 
Yet  lais  sins  were  not  yet  forgiven  ;  for  he  is  bidden  to 
arise,  and  wash  them  away  in  Baptism,  the  "washing" 
being  an  allusion  to  the  outward  visible  sign  in  this 
Sacrament — "  water ;  wherein  the  person  is  baptized 
In  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost." 

49.  Catechist. —Bnt  surely  the  malefactor  on  the  cross 
was  saved,  and  therefore  must  have  been  pardoned, 
without  Baptism.  Does  not  this  seem  to  show 
that  repentance  and  faith  can  procure  pardon  by 
themselves,  independently  of  the  Sacrament  of 
Baptism  ? 

A7iswer.—  No;  it  shows  nothing  of  the  kind  under 
the  present  circumstances  of  tlie  Church.  Full  Christian 
Baptism,  which  was  to  be  "  with  the  Holy  Ghost"  (St. 


IV.]  Catcchis77i.  137 

Mark  i.  8),  and  which  is  "  birth  of  water  and  of  the 
Spirit "  (see  St.  John  iii.  5),  did  not,  and  could  not, 
exist  before  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  the  Holy 
Ghost  came  down  upon  the  disciples  (see  Acts  ii.  4). 
Immediately  after  that  descent  of  '(kiQ  Holy  Ghost, 
Baptism  is  declared  to  be  the  appointed  means  for  the 
remission  of  the  sins  of  those  who  had  been  convicted 
of  sin  and  converted  to  God.  "  Repent,  and  he  bap- 
tized every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jcsus  Christ 
for  the  remission  of  sins  "  (Acts  ii.  88).  This  was  said 
to  those  who  were  already  "  pricked  in  their  heart," 
and  asked  the  Apostles  what  they  should  do,  evidently 
intending  to  follow  the  counsel  given  them  (see  Acts 
ii.  37.)  To  all  appearance  they  were  deeply  penitent; 
and  yet  they  are  told  that  they  must  "  be  baptized  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  remission  of  sins." 
The  penitent  malefactor,  dying  before  this  Baptism 
was  or  could  be  practised,  could  not  have  had  it ;  and 
God  does  not  require  from  any  of  us  what  it  is  impos- 
sible we  should  have. 

50.  Catechist. — Among  the  things  which   God's  "Word 

requires  us  to  believe,  we  may  well  suppose  that 
some  are  of  greater,   some    of  less    importance. 
What  reason  is  there  for  thinking  that  the  spiritual 
effect  of  Baptism,  rightly  administered  and  rightly 
received,  is  a  fundamental  point  of  Christian  Faith, 
and  not  a  matter  of  lesser  moment? 
Answer. — The  Nicene  Creed,  which  is  a  very  brief 
summary  of  the  things  to   be   believed,   includes   the 
effect  of  Holy  Baptism  among  them;   "■  I  acknoidedt/e 
one  Baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins."     These  words 
are  taken  from   St.    Peter's  counsel  to  his  convicted 
hearers  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  already  quoted  ;  "  Re- 
pent, and  he  haptized  every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ /or  the  remission  of  sins  "  (Acts  ii.  38). 

51.  Question. — What  makes  the  position  of  the  Church 

of  England  difficult  to  maintain  under  any  cir- 
cumstances ? 
Ansioer. — The   fact   that   opposition   to   her  comes 


138  Catechism.  [chap. 

from  two  different  and  opposite  quarters,  from  those 
who  dislike  the  Scriptural  purity  of  her  doctrine,  as 
adverse  to  the  superstitions  which  they  would  graft 
upon  it,  and  from  those  also  who  make  light  of  (per- 
chance because  they  themselves  have  it  not)  her  Apo- 
stolical descent. 

52.  Ca^ec/i^'s^.— State  briefly  the  features  of  our  Church's 

position. 
Answer.- — The  Church  of  England  is  both  Scriptural 
and  Apostolic,  both  pure  and  primitive,  both  Catholic 
and  Reformed. 

53.  Question. — In  addition  to  the  diflBculty  inherent  in 
her  position,  what  present  dangers  threaten  the 
Church  from  within  and  without  ? 

Answer. — First,  there  is  the  mutual  exasperation  of 
the  parties,  who  represent  respectively  the  Catholic  and 
the  Reformed  element  in  her  constitution.  The  feud 
is  very  likely,  if  God's  mercy  prevent  not,  to  rend 
in  sunder  the  National  Church,  and  to  make  of  it  two 
great  religious  factions. 

54.  Question. — What  renders  our  present  position  more 

critical  still  ? 
A7}swer.—The  clamour  of  the  Dissenters  for  the  dis- 
establishment and  disendowment  of  the  Church,  that  is, 
for  bringing  the  Church  down,  as  regards  her  temporal 
advantages,  to  a  level  with  the  sects. 

55.  Catechist. — You  say,  *'  as  regards  her  temporal  ad- 
vantages." Do  you  mean  that  her  spiritual  powers 
could  not  be  affected  by  such  a  measure  ? 

Ansiver. —  Certainly  not.  She  would  still  be  the 
only  true  Church  of  Christ  in  England,  and  the  only 
Communion  which  really  holds  the  Lord's  commission 
to  preach  and  administer  the  Sacraments. 

56.  Question. — But  what  is  the  most  alarming  feature 

of  the  present  crisis  ? 
Ansiver. — The     thinly-veiled    scepticism    which    is 
springing  up  within  the  Church,  and  the  tendency  of 
which  is  to  deprive   Christianity  of  its  supernatural, 


IV.]  CatcchisiJi.  139 

and  indeed  of  its  doctrinal  element,  and  to  reduce  it 
to  a  lofty  system  of  morality,  illustrated  by  a  great 
Example. 

57.  Question. — What  steps  should  be  taken  by  Church- 
men in  counteraction  of  these  dangers  ? 
Answer. — The  clergy  should  inculcate,  more  habitu- 
ally than  they  do,  the  advantages  of  the  Church's 
po.^ition,  and  lead  the  people  to  appreciate  them.  The 
laity  (whose  exertions  are  equally  needed  with  those 
of  the  clergy)  should  thoughtfully  study  and  compare 
Bible  and  1 'ray er- Book,  and  acquaint  themselves  with 
the  relation  in  which  they  stand  to  one  another,  as  text 
and  commentary.  And  all  should  lift  up  earnest 
prayer  for  our  Church  to  Him  "who  walketh  in  the 
midst  of  the  seven  golden  candlesticks,"  that  He  would 
not  "  remove  our  candlestick  out  of  his  place,"  but 
would  send  us  faithful  and  true  pastors,  to  order  and 
guide  us  according  to  His  will,  and  would  make  us  a 
burning  and  shining  light  among  the  Communions 
of  Christendom,  giving  us  repentance  for  the  past,  and 
kindling  upon  the  altar  of  our  hearts  the  flame  of  zeal 
and  love  in  the  future. 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE  INSTITUTION  OF  THE  MINISTRY,  AND  ITS 
RELATION  TO  THE  CHURCH. 

"  5HnJk  -.tbout  Bron,  nxtb  gc  xonnb  abwtt  her :  U\l  the  totoers 
thereof.  ^^\nvk  vc  tocU  her  bulwarks,  ronsiber  her 
Viiistecs ;  that  gc  tnag  tell  it  to  the  generation  folloto- 
ing."— Psalm  xlviii.  12,  13. 

npHE  reader  will  remember  that  we  are  en- 
-^  deavouring  to  comply  with  this  admonition 
in  a  spiritual  sense.  The  Church  is  our  Zion, 
which  Christ  founded  as  a  shelter,  a  house,  a 
place  of  defence  for  the  spiritual  life.  And  we 
rf)c  fanife  sre  now  going  "  round  about "  the  Church,  to  ob- 
spi'rituni^sion  serve  the  "towers"  and  "bulwarks"  with  which 
resume.  jjg  j^^g  fortified,  and  the  "palaces"  with  which 
He  has  beautified,  her;  in  other  words  (dropping 
the  language  of  figure),  we  are  accompanying  our 
Lord  in  thought,  as  He  traces  the  ground-plan  of 
His  Church,  upon  which  His  Apostles  were  sub- 
sequently to  build.  We  have  examined  the  words 
by  which  He  formed  the  Society,  and  endowed 
it  with  His  Presence,  and  those  also  by  which 
He  provided  for  its  extension,  and  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  its  members,  juvenile  and  adult,  in  His 
own  life-giving  Truth, 

140 


CI  I.  v.]     Institution  of  the  Ministry.      141 

In  this  Chapter  we  resume  our  walk  round  the 
circuit  of  the  walls  of  Zion. 

Though  tlie  word  "  Church"  is  of  frequent  occur-  Or  toort 
rence  in  the  Acts  and  Epistles  (when  there  was  a  onin  uscd  in 

/ 11  IN  T       J        1  -i-  J-  .the  (Bospds 

Cliurch),  our  Lord  only  uses  it  on  two  occasions,  on  tao  occa- 
But  in  what  He  says  on  these  occasions,  He  opens 
out  a  view  of  the  whole  subject.     One  of  them  is 
the  passage  in  which,  as  an  acknowledgment  of 
St.  Peter's  confession,  He  promises  to  build  His  in  %  pro- 
Church  "  upon  this  rock."    It  formed  the  subject  of  Jjctet; 
our  first  Chapter,  and  must  presently  be  referred 
to  again.     The  other  is  the  passage  quoted,  and 
partly  explained  in  the  last  Chapter,  in  which  He 
directs  that  the  offence  of  an  erring  brother  (if  he  ann  in  iftc 
will  not  listen  to  a  private  remonstrance)  shall  be  10  ucc-rf  toiih 
told  to  the  Church,  and  that  the  Church  (if  he  iVo^ttrr.^'"'^ 
neglect  to  hear  it)  shall  excommunicate  him,  or 
deal  with  him  as  a  heathen  man  and  a  publican. 
"  Nobody  "  (He  proceeds — I  give  the  meaning  of 
the  words  in  a  free  paraphrase)   "should   tliink 
lightly  of  this  censure,  for  it  will  be  ratified  in 
heaven.      The    Church   hath   great  power   witli 
heaven ;   for  the  united  prayer  of  even  two  or 
three  of  you,  gathered  together  in  my  Name,  shall 
be  accepted  and  answered.     And  this  because  1 
am  myseK  with  the  Society  which  I  found,  how- 
ever small  on  any  particular  occasion  its  numbers 
may  be." 

We  are  now  about  to  see  Christ's  Institu- 
tion of  the  Ministry  of  the  Cliurch,  and  the 
relation  which  He  designs  the  Ministry  to  bear 
to  the  Church  itself.  This  relation  it  is  very 
necessary  to  understand  correctly;  and  the  pas- 


142    The  Institution  of  the  Ministry,  [chap. 

sage  before  us  throws  a  great  deal  of  light  upon 
it. 

It  will  be  well  to  have  it  before  us  in  full. 
It   is   found  in   St.   Matt,   xviii.    15,  d  sequent. 
(St.  Matt,  xviii.  15)  "  Moreover  if  thy  brother  shall 
trespass  against  thee,  go  and  tell  him  his  fault  be- 
tween thee  and  him  alone  :  if  he  shall  hear  thee, 
thou  hast  gained  thy  brother.     But  if  he  will  not 
hear  thee,  then  take  with  thee  one  or  two  more, 
that  in  the  mouth  of  two  or  three  witnesses  every 
word  may  be  established.     And  if  he  shall  neglect 
to  hear  them,  tell  it  unto  the  church :  but  if  he 
neglect  to  hear  the  church,  let  him  be  unto  thee 
as  an  heathen  man  and  a  publican"   (in  other 
words,  let  him  be  excommunicated, — a   practice 
well  known  among  Jews,  and  which  went  among 
them  by  the  names  of  being  "  cast  out  of  the  syna- 
gogue," and  being  "  delivered  unto  Satan").     St. 
Paul  echoes  this  precept  of  our  Lord,  for  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Church  at  Corinth,  when  he  bids  them 
excommunicate  one  of  their  members,  who  had 
lacmatfeabie    Committed  incest.     "  But  now  I  have  written  unto 
"cttoccnour    you  not  to  keep  company,  if  any  man  that   is 
tions  for"^"'  called  a  brother  "  (a  Christian  brother)  "  be  a  for- 
tiannnfie"'  nicator,  or  covetous,  or  an  idolater,  or  a  railer,  or 
St  BauVs     a  drunkard,  or  an  extortioner ;  with  such  an  one 
ptactiaofit.  ^^  ^^^  ^^  g^^     For  what  have  I  to  do  to  judge 
them  also  that  are  without  ?"  (without  the  pale  of 
the  Church;  referring  to  what  he  had  said  just 
before,  that  they  were  not  to  separate  themselves 
from  the  heathen  world ;  for  how  should  they  then 
be  "  the  light  of  the  world,"  and  "  the  salt  of  the 
earth  ? "  it  was  not  the  Apostle's  business,  or  the 


v.]      and  its  Relation  to  the  Church.       143 

Church's,  to  censure  the  heathen,  but  to  convert 
them)  "do  not  ye  judge  them  that  are  within" 
(the  members  of  your  own  body)  ?  "  but  them  that 
are  without  God  judgeth.  Therefore  put  away 
from  among  yourselves  that  wicked  person."  In 
the  earlier  part  of  the  Chapter  we  find  that  the  act 
of  excommunication  was  to  be  performed  "  in  the 
name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  when  ye  are 
gathered  together,  and  my  spirit,  with  the  power  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Observe  how  exactly 
this  language  agrees  with  that  of  our  Lord,  in  the 
context  of  the  passage  we  are  considering.  For 
he  traces  up  the  force  of  excommunication,  as  . 
also  the  force  of  united  prayer,  to  this  very  simple 
principle ;  "  For  where  two  or  three  are  gathered 
together  in  my  name  "  ("  in  the  name  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  when  ye  are  gathered  together"), 
"  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them  "  (there  is  "  the 
jyoiver  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  to  second  the 
sentence).  Observe,  too  (for  we  must  make  use  of 
the  observation  presently)  that  excommunication 
is  the  act  of  the  whole  Church,  headed  by  the 
Apostle;  "  I  have  determined,  when  ye  are  gathered  oic  parties 
together,  and  my  sinrit "  (the  Apostle  could  not  be  ^nmrTn^' 
present  in  person,  but  he  would  be  there  in  spirit,  In^rcUfmng"^ 
when  the  censure  was  pronounced)  ..."  to  de-  unKofmom- 
liver  such  an  one  unto  Satan."  And  we  find  '"""^'>'^"- 
from  the  Second  Epistle  that  the  same  parties 
must  concur  in  relieving  a  person  from  this  censure. 
St.  Paul  there  directs  the  Church  to  forgive  and 
comfort  the  offender,  who  by  the  sentence  of  ex- 
communication had  been  brought  to  aright  mind; 
and  then  says  ;  "  To  whom  ye  forgive  anything,  I 


scait.  m  ti)c.    ^^j;ji^Q(3^ — ^ye  ujay  gather  some  idea  of  it  from  the 
misdiichous    iiappy   result   of   what    is   called    expulsion    in 


144   The  InsiitiUion  of  tJic  Miiiistry,  [chap. 

forgive  also "  (as  if  the  sentence  of  absolution 
could  not  be  ratified  without  his  apostolic  autho- 
rity) :  "  for  if  I  forgave  anything,  to  whom  I  for- 
gave it,  for  your  sakes  forgave  I  it  in  the  person 
of  Christ." 

Of    excommunication    I    need    say    no    more 
than  that  -it  is  an  exercise  by  the  Church  of  the 
power,  which  every  society  possesses,  of  expel- 
ling such  members  as  bring  discredit  upon  it.     If 
riif  mural     We  wish   to  vmderstand  what   the  moral   power 
acmnimmica-  and  usc  of  cxcommunication   was   in  the  Apo- 
onaSr  stolic  Church,— what  it  might  be  even  now,  if 

scalt,  in  tl)c 
npulsinn  of 
nttsdiiclious 
tnrmbrrs  from 

So'iksref"^  schools  and  colleges.  A  youth  is  doing  mischief, 
leading  others  into  evil,  setting  an  example  of 
indolence  and  vice,  which  is  infectious  to  younger 
boys.  In  this  case  the  ringleader  must  be  seut 
away ;  and  one  such  removal  is  often  sufficient 
to  restore  the  moral  tone  of  the  school.  Excom- 
munication is  the  expulsion  by  the  Church  of  her 
own  unworthy  members,  as  absolution  is  their 
re-instatement  in  membership  on  their  true  re- 
pentance. And  what  makes  excommunication 
so  much  more  serious  than  expulsion  from  an 
ordinary  society  (what  justifies  the  application  to 
it  of  such  awful  names  as  the  being  "  delivered 
unto  Satan,")  is  that  the  Church  is  a  divinely 
founded  Society,  the  very  kingdom  of  God  planted 
by  Christ  among  the  children  of  men. 

But  our  Lord  proceeds  thus,  after  bidding  the 
Church  excommunicate  the  offending  brother; 
"Verily  I  say  unto  you.  Whatsoever  ye   shall 


v.]       audits  Relation  to  the  Church.      145 

bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven :  and 
whatsoever  ye  shall  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed 
in  heaven." 

The  first  thing  to  be  observed  here  is  that  in  srhc  poinrr  of 
the  sixteenth  Chapter  this  very  power  of  binding  loogilTg^  °" 
and  loosing,  which  is  here  lodged  with  the  whole  tlnu  toaijX 
Church  ("  Whatsoever  ye  shall  bind  .  .  .  what-  ci^uuh,  at 
Boever  ye  shall  loose "),  is  given  specifically  to  aTnaTe^'"' 
one  only  of  the  Apostles,  St.  Peter  (verse  1 9),  ^J"'^''*' 
"  And  I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  king- 
dom of  heaven "   (or  Church ;   the   "  keys "  are 
doubtless  the  Word  and  Sacraments  of  God,  by 
the  use  of  which  St.  Peter,  first  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost,  and  afterwards  in  the  house  of  Cor- 
nelius, threw  open  the  doors  of  the  Church,  or 
kingdom  of  God,  for  the  admission  of  Jews  and 
Gentiles) :   "  and  whatsoever  Tiiou  shalt  bind  on 
earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven  :  and  whatsoever 
THOU   shalt   loose  on  earth   shall   be   loosed   in 
heaven."     But  what  is  meant  by  "binding"  and  irbf mraning 
"  loosing? "     It  will  be  safe  to  understand  by  these  ann  ''im"^ 
terms  every  exercise  of  Church  authority.     Partly,  j'^^^'    ^ 
excommunication  and  re-instatement,  like  that  of  munication, 
the  incestuous  man  of  Cormth. — The  "  bmding  "  ftom  it. 
is  also  to  be  understood  of  those  words  of  censure 
sometimes  spoken  by  the  Apostles,  which  were  siiId.  tm- 
attended  with  a  judgment  on  the  offender.     St.  bg  temporal 
Peter  "  bound  "  Ananias  and  Sapphira,  when  he  ana°«iu/' 
remonstrated  with  them  for  their  falsehood  and 
sacrilege,  and  they  fell  dead  at  his  feet  (which 
last  was  Heaven's   ratification   of  the   binding). 
St.  Paul  "  bound  "  Elymas  the  sorcerer,  when  he 
called  him  the  "  child  of  the  devil,"  the  "enemy 


1 46   The  Institution  of  the  Ministry,  [chap 

of  all  righteousness,"  and  doomed  him  to  be  blind 

for  a  season,  a  sentence  which  immediately  came 

to  pass. — But  the  words  have  a  broader  sense 

3tit5.  9uti)o-  than  this.     The  authoritative  permission  of  any- 

ritatibe  pro-       ,  .  n     n  i         1       t       •  i      i  1         •        » 

tibition  ana  thing  was  Called  by  the  Jewish  doctors  "  loosing 
it  (or  making  it  free  to  people) ;  the  authoritative 
prohibition  of  it  was  called  "  binding "  it  (or 
tying  it  up).  So  when  the  first  Christian  Council 
at  Jerusalem  authoritatively  declared  that  the 
Gentile  converts  need  not  circumcise  their  chil- 
dren, nor  observe  the  Mosaic  ritual,  this  was  a 
"  loosing."  And  when  that  Council  charged  them 
nevertheless  to  abstain  from  meats  offered  to 
idols,  and  other  abominable  things  which  went  on 
in  heathen  temples ;  and  when  St.  Paul,  in  his 
First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  bids  Christians 
not  partake  of  such  meats,  if  a  weak  brother 
would  be  scandalized  by  their  doing  so,  this  was  a 
m\-a_.  ri)e  "  binding." — Further  still :  the  authoritative  ad- 
or  granting  of  ministration  of  the  Sacraments  through  which,  as 

Sarraintnts;    ,,  -,11  i  i 

the  appointed  channels,  mercy  and  grace  are  con- 
veyed to  man's  soul ;  the  authoritative  preaching 
of  the  Name  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  that  whereby 
alone  we  must  be  saved,  and  the  announcing  to 
men   God's   offer   of  pardon   and   reconciliation 
©t  5H)iio.  ©t  through  Him,  is  a  "  loosing  "  (a  means  of  releas- 
mransof'"^^  iug  the  conscieuce  from  the  guilt  of  sin).     So  is 
^""'  every  formal  absolution,  every  formal  benediction. 

And,  on  the  contrary,  the  withholding  these 
means  of  grace  from  any  one, — the  withholduig 
Baptism  from  a  heathen,  because  he  is  not  yet 
considered  fit  for  it,  or  the  Lord's  SujDper  from 
a  Christian,  because  by  some  grievous  sin  he  has 


v.]       and  its  Relation  to  the  CJmrcJi.     147 

caused  a  scandal  among  the  congregation,  or  the 

rite  of  burial  from  one,  who  had  died  in  a  fit  of  or  tbm  of 

nno  rite  of 

intoxication,  or  with  an  avowal  of  mfidelity  on  tije'cburcfi. 
his  lips, — this  would  be  a  "  binding,"  or  (in  another 
Scriptural  phrase,  which  is  as  nearly  as  possible 
equivalent)  a  "  retaining  of  sins." 

And  thus  we  an-ive  at  tlie  passage  where  this 
latter  phrase  occurs,  and  in  which  our  Blessed 
Lord  institutes  the  INIinistry  of  His  Church,  or,  in 
other  words,  appoints  the  officers  of  the  Society 
which  He  had  founded.  This  great  appointment 
was  made  on  the  evening  of  the  first  Easter  Day. 
Here   is   the   account   of  it : — "  Then  the   same  cfirisfa 

.  1        r.  1  PI  1     institution  of 

day,  at  evening,  bemg  the  first  day  of  the  week,  the  fflinistto 
when  the  doors  were  shut  where  the  disciples  ing  of  tbc 
were  assembled  for  fear  of  the  Jews,  came  Jesus  Dao. 
and  stood  in  the  midst"  (in  exact  fulfilment 
of  His  foregone  assurance,  "  AMiere  two  or  three 
are  gathered  together  in  my  name,  there  am  I 
in  the  midst  of  them "),  "  and  saith  unto  them. 
Peace  be  unto  you.  And  when  he  had  so  said, 
he  shewed  unto  them  his  hands  and  his  side. 
Then  were  the  disciples  glad,  when  they  saw  the 
Lord.  Then  said  Jesus  to  them  again"  (now 
here  He  is  speaking  to  the  ten  Apostles  only, 
even  supposing  others  to  have  been  present,  as  is 
evident  from  His  employing  the  very  verb,  from 
which  the  word  "  apostle,"  which  means  "  a  sent 
one,"  is  derived),  "  Peace  be  unto  you :  as  my 
Father  hath  sent  me "  (our  Lord  is  called  "  the 
Ajjosth  of  our  profession "  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews),  "  even  so  send  I  you.  And  when  he 
had  said   this,  he  breathed  on  them,  and  saith 


1 48   The  Institution  of  the  Ministry,  [chap. 

unto  them,  Eeceive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost :  Wliose 
soever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are  remitted  unto  them; 
and  whose  soever  sins  ye  retain,  they  are  re- 
tained." That  this  passage  is  connected  with 
the  Ordination  (or  appointment)  of  Ministers,  and 
that  our  Church  finds  in  it  one  of  her  warrants 
for  Ordination,  is  clear  from  the  fact  that  it  makes 
part  of  the  solemn  sentence,  by  which  Priest's 
Orders  are  still  administered  among  us, — the  sen- 
tence which  accompanies  the  imposition  of  hands, 
and  which  runs  thus ;  "  Eeceive  the  Holy  Ghost 
for  the  Office  and  Work  of  a  Priest  in  the  Church 
of  God,  now  committed  unto  thee  by  the  Imposi- 
tion of  our  hands.  Whose  sins  thou  dost  forgive, 
they  are  forgiven ;  and  whose  sins  thou  dost 
retain,  they  are  retained.  And  be  thou  a  faith- 
ful Dispenser  of  the  AVord  of  God,  and  of  his  holy 
Sacraments ;  In  the  Name  of  the  Father,  and 
of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.     Amen." 

Without  entering  into  particulars  about  the 
meaning  of  the  words  "  remitting  "  and  "  retain- 
ing "  sins,  which  might  not  only  lead  us  much 
beyond  our  limits,  but  involve  us  in  controversy 
(a  thing  foreign  to  the  purpose  of  this  work),  let 
us  take  them  in  that  broad  and  incontrovertible 
sense,  in  which  the  soundest  divines  of  our  Church 
(Barrow,^  for  instance,  and  many  others)  have 
understood  and  expounded  them,  and  which  the 
charge  that  follows  them  in  the  sentence  of  Ordi- 
nation (to  be  "  faithful  in  dispensing  God's  Word 
and  Sacraments ")  seems  to  impose  upon  them. 
So  understood  and  explained,  they  mean  almost 

^  See  his  treatise  De  Potestate  Clavium. 


v.]        and  its  Relation  to  the  Church.     149 

Cif  not  quite)  the  same  as  the  "  bindinfr  and  loos-  JSronbsmae 

•^       M       P        ,  •    1  1-  1  11  rpi       of  the  iDorUg, 

ing,     of  which  we  have  spoken   already.      IheaBmraninfl 
Ministry  of  the  Gospel  is  a  ministry  of  reconcilia-  fSiniatro  of 
tion.     The  great  message  of  God's  Word  is,  "  We  ann  tbrro 
pray  you  in  Christ's  stead,  be  ye,  reconciled  to  God."  tro,  bo  far  as 

rni  -r^         i  •  ■   •     „   f  l^  •        ■  r        •         1i   it  is  a  rCprO- 

Ihe  one  liaptism  is     tor  the  remission  oj  sins,   suction  of 
and  subsequently  for  "  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  a/pmnuij 
The  chalice  of  the  Holy  Supper  represents  and  TS^ 
conveys  Christ's  "  blood  of  the  New  Testament,  QibrnrsBranu 
which  is  shed  for  many /or  the  remission  of  sins."  bicg^sm^aof 
And  in  special  connexion  with   the   Eucharist,  cob^an/,'^" 
as  the  great  Christian  "  sacrifice  of  praise  and  S^/"'^'' '" 
thanksgiving,"  we  pray  that  by  the  merits  and 
death  of  God's  Son  Jesus  Christ,  "  and  through 
faith  in  his  blood,  we  and  all  thy  whole  Church 
may  obtain  remission  of  our  sins,  and  all  other 
benefits  of  his  passion."      Thus  the  Word  and 
Sacraments  of  God  are  the  golden  conduit-pipes, 
through  which  the  golden  oil  of  grace,  mercy, 
and  peace  is  poured  into  man's  heart. — Now  the 
Apostles,  who   represented  all  ministers  to  the 
end  of  time,  in  whose  ministry  all  lesser  minis- 
tries were   bound  up,  as   the   prismatic  colours 
in  the  sun,  and  from  whose  ministry  all  lesser 
ministries  are  derived,  as  separate  rills  from  the 
fulness  of  a  broad  and  brimming  river,  were  the 
appointed  and  ordained  administrators  of  these 
Ordinances.    Where  they  preached  and  ministered, 
there  mercy  and  grace  flowed  forth  to  the  people 
through  the  channel  of  their  ministry.   Where  they 
did  not  preach  and  minister,  there  the  fountains 
of  mercy  and  grace  were  in  a  manner  sealed  up. 
And   in   this    sense,  as  ministerially  the  media, 


150  The  Institution  of  the  Ministry ,  [chap. 

through  which  God's  pardoning  mercy  and  restor- 
ing grace  reached  man,  "  whose  soever  sins  "  the 
Apostles  remitted,  they  were  remitted  unto  them, 
and  "whose  soever  sins"  the  Apostles  retained, 
they  were  retained.  And  so  far  forth  as  any 
modern  and  uninspired  ministry  is  a  reproduction 
of  the  ministry  of  the  Apostles,  so  far  as  it  is 
exercised  in  their  spirit,  and  sets  forth  their  doc- 
trine, as  well  as  proceeds  under  their  commission, 
— so  far,  no  doubt,  the  remission  and  retaining  of 
sins  accompanies  it  also.  For  that  remission  and 
retention  is  necessarily  bound  up  in  the  Gospel 
Ministry. 

II.  But  now  we  advance  to  the  most  delicate 
and  important  part  of  our  subject, — the  relation 
which  the  Ministry  of  the  Church  bears  to  the 
Church  itself.  The  point  is  very  simple,  and 
may  be  easily  understood  by  one  or  two  familiar 
illustrations. 

In  the  passages  of  the  New  Testament  whicli 
we    have   just   reviewed,   we   observe   that  the 
very  same  power   of  "binding"  and  "loosing," 
which  is  given  first  to  St,  Peter  by  himself,  is 
given  very  soon  afterwards  to  the  whole  body  of 
believers, — to  the  "two  or  three  gathered  together" 
in  Christ's  Name.     And  we  observe  also  that  an 
exactly  similar  power,  that  of  "  remitting  and  re- 
taining sins,"  is  given  also  to  the  Apostles  gene- 
rally, in  their  character  of  Apostles,  or  sent  ones. 
CEitfj  fof)om  This  raises  the  question,  To  whom  is  the  power  of 
Iff  bmainfl'^   binding  and  loosing,  remitting  and  retaining  {i.e. 
rcaUs"'So,  ^s  I  have  explained,  carrying  on  under  Christ's 
commission  the  great  ministry  of  reconciliation). 


v.]       and  its  Relation  to  tJic  Church.      1 5 1 

roally  given  ?  -svith  whom  is  it  really  lodged  ?  Is 
it  with  the  whole  Church  (that  is,  with  the  whole 
assembly  of  baptized  believers,)  as  would  seem  to 
be  the  case  from  His  saying  to  all  His  disciples, 
"  Whatsoever  YE  shall  bind  on  earth  shall  be 
bound  in  heaven?"  Or  is  it  with  the  clergy  of 
the  Church  only,  as  would  seem  to  be  the  case 
from  His  giving  to  His  Apostles,  when  sending 
them  forth  in  His  Name,  the  power  of  remitting 
and  retaining  sins  ?  In  other  words,  are  these  initi,  tbf 
powers  intrusted  to  the  Society  which  Christ  toi/ijlta" 
founded,  or  only  to  the  officers  of  the  Society?       o®"'^*' 

The  answer  is,  (and  it  is  an  answer  which  re- 
conciles the  Scriptural  notices  on  the  subject,  and 
puts  the  whole  question  of  the  Christian  Ministry 
on  its  right  footing,)  that  the  powers  in  question 
are  indeed  the  powers  of  tlie  whole  body,  and  to 
be  exercised  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole  body ; 
but  that  they  are  delegated  to  Christian  IMinisters 
as  the  organs  and  representatives  of  the  body, — for 
which  reason,  though  the  powers  belong  essen- 
tially to  all,  it  does  not  follow  that  all  have  tlie 
right  to  exercise  them. 

In  all  ministerial  acts,  Christian  Ministers  act 
as  organs  and  representatives  of  the  Church,  or 
Society  of  the  faithful. 

First,  as  organs}    Take  an  illustration  from  the  cbriatfan 


iBinistfrs  thf 
organg  of  tl)f 


^  This  illustration  is  borrowed  entirely  from  that  very  Cburri). 
valuable  volume,  the  Bampton  Lectures  of  the  present 
Bishop  of  Salisbury.  The  illustration  drawn  from  political 
representatives  is  one  which  I  ventured  to  use  in  another 
work,  i)ublishe(l  many  years  ago.  I  am  greatly  pleased  to 
find  that  the  same  idea  has  occurred  to  Bishop  Moberly,  and 
is  sanctioned  by  him. 


152    The  Institutmi  of  the  Ministry,  [chap. 


lEIIu0(talton 
from  the 
natural  botig, 
tte  taf)olc  of" 
iuhicf)  13 
mbotoeU  iritf) 
BcnBation, 
iD|)iU  at  tfje 
same  titne 
lljftc  are 
ssprrial 
organs, 
ti)rouglj 

stuBatton  is 
firrcisclj. 


natural  body.  The  whole  body  is  endowed  with 
sensation,  even  down  to  the  extremities.  Sensa- 
tion is  not  the  endowment  of  a  part,  but  is  distri- 
buted over  the  whole.  And  that  sensation  is  one 
and  the  same  thing  (though  the  impressions  which 
come  to  us  through  the  eye,  the  ear,  the  touch,  are 
veiy  different  in  character)  may  be  gathered  from 
the  well-known  fact  that,  when  a  man  is  deprived 
of  one  sense,  other  senses  grow  keener.  Thus  blind 
people  acquire  a  wonderful  delicacy  of  touch, 
enabling  them  (it  is  said)  occasionally  to  ascertain 
the  colour  of  a  piece  of  stuff  by  feeling  it.  This 
seems  to  show  that  the  eye,  the  ear,  the  hand,  the 
palate,  and  so  forth,  are  only  avenues  of  sensation, 
doors  by  which  sensation  goes  forth  from  sensitive 
creatures,  and  that,  when  one  door  is  shut,  the 
sensibility  which  is  spread  over  the  body  rallies 
more  strongly  at  the  other  doors.  Here  then  is 
an  image  of  the  relation,  which  the  Ministry  bears 
to  the  Church  at  large.  Christian  Ministers  are 
to  the  Church  what  the  eye,  the  ear,  the  palate 
(and  so  forth),  are  to  the  body, — organs,  through 
which  it  puts  forth  its  powers  and  receives  im- 
pressions. These  powers  and  impressions  really 
belong  to  the  whole  body,  not  exchisively  to  the 
Ministry.  Life  is  not  the  special  endowment  of 
the  eye,  or  of  the  ear,  or  of  the  hand ;  it  is  the 
general  endowment  of  the  body,  which  lives  in 
the  eye,  and  the  ear,  and  the  hand, — sees  in  the 
one,  hears  in  the  other,  feels  in  tlie  third.  The 
whole  Church  of  Christ — laity  as  well  as  clergy 
— is  endowed  with  the  life  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
breathed  into  it  continually  by  its  risen  Head. 


v.]        and  its  Relation  to  the  Church.     153 

But  this  does  not  at  all  militate  against  the  other 
truth,  that  the  Ministers  of  the  Church  are  the 
organs  by  which  she  exerts  her  powers,  by  which 
she  utters  and  expresses  herself,  and  through 
which  also  (as  through  an  eye  or  an  ear)  she  re- 
ceives that  mercy,  grace,  and  peace,  which  are  in 
the  natural  world  what  light  and  music  are  in  the 
spiritual. 

But  Christian  Ministers  are  representatives,  as  cWBiian 
well  as  organs,  of  the  Church.     And  this  at  least  prcsentatifacs' 
is  a  point  which  is  very  easily  seized.    The  priest-  ° 
hood  of  the  Jewish  Church  was,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, a  representative  priesthood.    Originally,  the 
first-born  of  Israel,  the  eldest  male  children  of  all 
the  families  in  the  nation,  were  consecrated  to 
God,   in   commemoration   of  their  having   been 
spared,  when  the  first-born  of  the  Egyptians  were 
destroyed.      But    afterwards,    because    such    an  erprrsfnta- 

.  .  tiUc  cliarnnrr 

arrangement  might  have  been  inconvenient,  the  ofthcSttoisb 

T-  1-  i(>ir>i  pricstbooO. 

Levites  were  substituted  tor  the  first-born,  and 
made  to  represent  them.     "  Take  the  Levites," 
said  the  Lord,  "  instead  of  all  the  first-born  of  the 
children  of  Israel."    That  in  the  Christian  Ministry 
also  there  is  the  same  principle  of  representation, 
may  be  gathered  from  the  messages  which  St. 
John  is  instructed  to  send  to  the  angels  of  the 
Seven   Churches   in   Asia.      By  the   angels  are  srfie  angrig 
meant  the  bishops  who  governed  those  Churches,  oftfificbcn 
And  a  study  of  the  Epistles  will  show  that  they  orfiurrU.. 
are  not  addressed  to  the  bishops,  as  individual  \\t  atb'ia-" 
Christians,  but  as  representatives  of  the  respective  prrsmtaYifacs 
Churches  over  which  they  presided.      In  short,  ehunfirs 
it  is  not  so  much  the  bishop  who  is  addressed,  {"beg  pnsrtifii. 


154  The  Institution  of  tJie  Ministry,  [chap. 

as  the  Church,  which  is  addressed  through  its 
bishop.  I  will  only  quote  one  passage  in  proof 
of  what  I  say ;  "  Unto  the  angel  of  the  church 
in  Smyrna  write.  .  .  .  Fear  none  of  those 
things  which  thou  shalt  suffer  : "  (but  it  does  not 
follow  hence  that  the  bishop  himself  in  his  own 
person  would  suffer,  though  doubtless  he  would 
be  a  sharer  with  the  rest  in  the  sufferings  of 
Christ ;  for  the  verse  proceeds),  "  behold,  the 
devil  shall  cast  some  of  you  into  prison,  that  ye 
may  be  tried ;  and  ye  shall  have  tribulation  ten 
days."  The  "  thou"  is  only  addressed  as  represent- 
ing the  "  ye."  Every  Church  is  summed  up  in  its 
bishop,  and  takes  its  tone  from  him. 
iSfprrsmia-  Mucli  is  it  to  be  deplored  that  the  English  word, 
of'tbc'cbri?  which  expresses  this  representative  character  of 
mognhrt  iig  ^^  clergy,  has  been  so  vulgarized  as  almost  to 
•''^a?son.'  '^^fi^  i^  ^*^^  serious  use.  "  Persona"  in  Latin 
means  a  representative,  one  who  plays  the  part, 
and  sustains  the  character,  of  another.  Brought 
into  the  English  tongue,  this  word  became  "  per- 
son," and  was  applied  to  the  clergy,  because  in 
their  respective  parishes  they  represent  the  Church 
of  Christ,     You  have  it  in  this  form  in  Chaucer ; 

"  There  was  a  poiire  Persone  of  a  toim  ;" 

(that  is,  a  poor  city  clergyman).  The  word  still 
exists,  and  is  applied  to  the  clergy,  though  the 
e  has  been  changed  into  a, — a  change  which  not 
only  vulgarizes  it,  but  hides  its  derivation. 

The  clergy,  then,  are  representatives  of  the 
Church.  And  our  political  constitution  has  made 
us  familiar  with  the  oftice  and  duties  of  repre- 


v.]      and  its  Relation  to  the  Church.      1 5  5 

sentatives.     Our  House  of  Comiuons  consists  of  jaoiiiicai  «- 
representatives  of  the  people.    They  are  the  popu-  SmbTibdr" 
lar  element  in  the  Legislature.     They  derive  all  \\^^tal\u 
their  power,  as  well  as  their  appointment,  from  the  pmo°gati'i?« 
people.      The  member   for  any   constituency  is  ^topu  mag 
sent  to  Parliament,  to  act  for  the  constituency  in  ""' "®"''' ' 
matters  of  legislation,  to  speak  in  their  interests, 
and  make  their  voice  heard.     He  is  to  be  their 
organ ;  he  has  no  position  independent  of  them ; 
he  has  no  power  but  what  they  (by  the  votes  of 
the  majority)  have  intrusted  to  him  for  the  com- 
mon benefit.    But,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  abund- 
antly clear,  that  once  elected  and  sent  to  Parlia- 
ment, he  has  a  right  to  do  many  things,  which 
they  have  no   right   to   do;   many  things  with 
which  they  must  not  presume  to  meddle.     "VVe 
may  say  with  truth  that  the  members  for  our 
county  and  borough  derive  all  their  power  from 
ourselves ;  but  that  does  not  give  to  any  one  of 
lis  the  right  to  make  a  speech  in  the  House  of 
Commons,  or  even  to  enter  the  House  without 
permission.     This  very  simple  and  easy  illustra- 
tion  explains   (perhaps    better  than   any   other 
covdd)  the  true  relation   between  the  Christian 
]\Iinistry  and  the  Church.     Every  power  which  anii  so  Hje 
we,  as  Christian  Ministers,  can  be  supposed  to  aKrtjj'rremta- 
exercise,  even  the  very  highest, — excommunica-  cJjur?^.'''^ 
tion,   absolution,   benediction,   authoritative    de- 
claration and  exposition  of  God's  Word,  conse- 
cration of  the  elements  in  the  holy  Eucharist, — 
is  strictly  and  essentially  a  Churcli  power  ;  it  was 
lodged  with  the  Church  at  iirst,  and  we  exercise 
it  merely  as  delegates  and  representatives  of  the 


1 5  6    The  Institution  of  the  Ministry,  [chap. 

whole  body  of  Christ,  or  (if  you  please)  merely 
as  trustees,  who  are  bound  to  administer  it  for  the 
benefit  of  the  party  to  whom  it  was  bequeathed. 

"  All  the  congregation  are  holy,"  said  rebellious 
Korah,   "  every  one   of  them,   and  the  Lord  is 
sarai)  spoke   among  them."      So  far  Korah  spoke  the  truth, 
assfrtmg  itat  and  had  right  on  his  side.      All  the  people  of 
grcsntion       Israel  were  holy,  and  the  Lord  was  among  them. 
All  the  Christian  Church  is  holy,  every  member 
of  it ;  and  the  Lord  is  in  the  midst  of  the  two  or 
three  gathered  together  in  His  Name,  even  where 
there  is  no  Minister  and  no  Ministry.     Moreover, 
every  private  Christian  is  a  priest,  bound  to  offer 
up  privately  on  the  altar  of  Christ's  Atonement 
the  incense  of  prayer,  the  sacrifice  of  praise,  of 
alms,  and  of  his  own  body. — But  while  Korah 
had  one  right  premiss  in  his  argument,  his  con- 
clusion was  desperately  (may  I  not  say  damnably  ?) 
wrong,  and  he  and  all  his  company  bitterly  riied 
their  false  logic.      Though  all  the  congregation 
were  holy,  every  one  of  them,  God  had  appointed 
toroi'/lD'''     '^^  ^^^^  °^  Aaron  exclusively  to  offer  incense  be- 
tiicnre  tgat  t)e  fgre  the  Lord,  and  to  fulfil  the  other  functions  of 

miglit  assume  ' 

fufuti°'°^  priesthood.  Aaron  and  his  family,  in  claiming 
the  exclusive  right  to  exercise  those  functions, 
had  not  taken  too  much  upon  them,  nor  lifted 
up  themselves  above  the  congregation  of  the 
Lord,  since  they  had  been  expressly  called  of  God 
to  that  great  Ministry.  And,  as  we  all  know, 
miserably  did  the  cavillers  against  their  preroga- 
tive perish.  And  in  later  days  King  Uzziah  was 
made  an  example  of  the  sinfulness  of  a  similar 
usurpation  of  sacred  functions. 


v.]       a)id  its  RclatiojL  to  the  Church.      157 

I  would  not  unduly  press  the  parallel  between 
the  Levitical  and  tlie  Christian  Ministry ;  but  I 
would   insist   upon   tlie   great   principles  which 
underlie  it.      The   individual   priesthood  of  the 
Christian  laity  is  entirely  compatible  with  the 
official  priesthood  of  the  Christian  clergy.     ,A11 
the  powers  of  the  priesthood  are  the  Church's 
l)owers ;  but  that,  while  true,  is  far  from  warrant- 
ing any  unauthorized  member  of  the  Church  in 
exercising  them.     Many  of  our  laity,  animated  ernn-oacijmfut 
doubtless   by  a  laudable  ambition  to   do   good,  ministfTiai 
mixed  up  with  the  desire  (natural  to  all  of  us)  of  tonficmnrt  bo 
saying  their  say  on  subjects  which  interest  them,  ans  buVhat  It 
are  coveting  the  office  of  preachers  ;  while  others  Uptosp.^ 
presume  (and  surely  it  is  a  great  presumption)  to 
thrust  themselves  into  the  office  without  any  call 
from  the  Church.     Whether  or  not  devout  and 
well-educated  laymen  might  not  (after  due  exa- 
mination, such  as  the  clergy  have  to  submit  to) 
]je  licensed  by  the  bishops  to  preach,  with  advan- 
tage to  the  Chiirch  (as  has  been  the  case  in  for- 
mer times),  it  is  for  the  bishops  themselves  to 
consider.     But  with  every  respect  for  the  large 
amount  of  good  motive  in  those  who  take  upon 
themselves  a  sacred  office  without  any  authoriza- 
tion, I  confess  that,  looking  at  their  action  only 
in  the  light  of  Holy  Scripture,  I  cannot  help  re- 
garding it  as  (I  am  using  the  mildest  terms  I  can 
find)  questionable  and  hazardous  in  the  highest 
degree.     Were  I  to  undertake  such  a  task  with- 
out recognition  from  the  Church,  the  awful  words 
"  that  he  be  not  as  Korah,  and  as  his  company," 
would  come  chiming  in  with  a  jangling  disso- 


1 5  S  Ca  tech  ism.  [c  hap. 

nance  amidst  tlie  echoes  of  my  own  voice ;  and 
the  question  whether  any  man's  preaching  could 
be  of  such  importance  to  the  Church,  that  it  must 
be  had  at  any  rate,  even  in  defiance  of  her  own 
rules,  would  thoroughly  disquiet  me  in  my  work. 
But  I  desire  to  judge  no  man  by  my  own  con- 
science. To  his  own  Master  the  unauthorized 
preacher  must  stand  or  fall.  Suffice  it  that  the 
author  has  done  his  best  to  give  a  popular  view  of 
the  relation  subsisting  between  the  Ministry  and 
the  Church.  It  is  the  reader's  part  to  consider 
that  view,  and,  if  found  to  be  according  to  the 
teaching  of  God's  Word,  to  accept  and  act  upon  it. 


OTatcchism  oit  QTItap'.  1. 

1.  Question.— ^V-^  is  the  word  "  Church  "  of  much 
rarer  occurrence  in  the  Gospels  than  in  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles  and  the  Epistles  ? 

Answer. — Because  the  Church,  though  all  its  founda- 
tions were  marked  out  by  our  Lord  Himself,  can  hardly 
be  said  to  have  been  in  existence  during  the  period 
which  is  described  in  the  Grospels.  Hence  we  hear 
very  little  of  the  Church  until  after  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost, when  it  was  first  set  up. 

2.  Question.- — ^How  often  does  our  Lord  use  the  word 

"Church"? 
Answer. — Only  on  two  occasions,  both  of  which  are 
recorded  in  St.  Matthew's  Gospel.  In  acknowledgment 
of  St.  Peter's  confession  of  Him,  our  Lord  says  (St. 
Matt.  xvi.  18) :  "  And  I  say  also  unto  thee,  That  thou 
art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church  ; 
and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it."  And 
a  little  further  on  in  the  same  Gospel  He  gives  this 


v.]  Catechism.  159 

rule  as  to  the  right  manner  of  dealing  with  an  erring 
brother  (chap,  xviii.  15,  16,  17):  "Moreover,  if  thy 
brother  shall  trespass  against  thee,  go  and  tell  him  his 
fault  between  thee  and  him  alone  :  if  he  shall  hear 
thee,  thou  hast  gained  thy  brother.  But  if  he  will  not 
hear  thee,  then  take  with  thee  one  or  two  more,  that  in 
the  mouth  of  two  or  three  witnesses  every  word  may 
be  established.  And  if  he  shall  neglect  to  hear  them, 
tell  it  unto  tlie  church:  but  if  he  neglect  to  hear  the 
church,  let  him  be  unto  thee  as  an  heathen  man  and  a 
publican." 

3.  Question. — "What  is  the  subject  of  the  present 
Chapter  ? 

Answer. — The  institution  of  the  Christian  Ministry, 
and  the  relation  which  it  bears  to  the  Church. 

4.  Question. — What  passages  of  Holy  Scripture  give 
us  instruction  on  these  points  ? 

Answer. — Two  principally ;  the  first,  that  which  was 
last  quoted  from  St.  Matthew;  the  second,  that  which 
records  the  interview  of  our  Lord  with  His  disciples 
on  the  evening  of  the  day  of  His  Resurrection  (St. 
John  XX.  19-24). 

5.  Question. — In  the  first  of  these  passages,  what 
do  you  understand  by  the  words,  "  Let  him  be 
unto  thee  as  an  heathen  man  and  a  publican  "  ? 

Anstver. — Let  him  be  excommunicated,  and  put  out 
of  the  pale  of  the  Christian  Society. 

6.  Question. — Do  we  find  St.  Paul  echoing  this  pre- 
cept of  our  Lord  ? 

Ansivcr.  Yes.  He  thus  writes  to  the  Corinthians 
with  special  reference  to  a  member  of  their  Church, 
who  had  committed  the  sin  of  incest :  "  Now  I  have 
written  unto  you  not  to  keep  company,  if  any  man  that 
is  called  a  brother  be  a  fornicator,  or  covetous,  or  an 
idolater,  or  a  railer,  or  a  drunkard,  or  an  extortioner ; 
with  such  an  one  no  not  to  eat.  .  .  .  Therefore  put 
away  from  among  yourselves  that  wicked  person  "  (1 
Cor.  V.  11,  13). 


1 60  CatecJiism.  [chap. 

7.  Question.  What  name  does  he  give  to  this  separa- 
tion of  a  man  from  the  Christian  Society  ? 

Ansiver. — He  calls  it  "  a  judgment  of  them  that  are 
•within "  (a  censure,  that  is,  of  those  who  are  within 
the  pale  of  the  Church).  As  for  those  who  are 
"  without "  (or  bej'ond)  the  pale,  he  says  it  is  not  for 
him  to  censure  them ;  they  are  to  be  left  to  the  judg- 
ment of  Almighty  God.  This  throws  great  light  upon 
the  admonitory  clauses  of  the  Athanasian  Creed,  and 
other  like  censures  of  the  Church.  We  do  not  pro- 
nounce in  them  any  judgment  whatever  upon  the 
heathen,  not  even  upon  such  heathen  as  have  heard, 
but  not  closed  with,  the  oifers  of  the  Gospel,  much  less 
upon  those  to  whom  the  G  ospel  has  never  been  made 
known.  "  What  have  I  to  do  to  judge  them  also  that 
are  without?  .  .  .  them  that  are  without  God 
judgeth"  (1  Cor.  V.  12,  13). 

8.  Question. — By  what  other  more  awful  term  does 
the  Apostle  describe  excommunication? 

Answer. — He  calls  it  "  a  delivering  unto  Satan  for 
the  destruction  of  the  flesh."  The  words  are :  "  For 
I  verily,  as  absent  in  body,  but  present  in  spirit,  have 
judged  already,  as  though  I  were  present,  concerning 
him  that  hath  so  done  this  deed,  in  the  name  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  when  ye  are  gathered  together,  and 
my  spirit,  with  the  power  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to 
deliver  such  an  one  unto  Satan  for  the  destruction  of 
the  flesh,  that  the  spirit  may  be  saved  in  the  day  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  "  (1  Cor.  v.  3,  4,  5). 

9.  Question. — What  observation  have  you  to  make  on 
the  words,  "In  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  when  ye  are  gathered  together,  and  my 
spirit"? 

Ansiver. — That  they  coincide  remarkably  with  the 
words  of  our  Lord  in  St.  Matthew  (xviii.  20);_"For 
where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  my 
name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them,"  especially 
when  it  is  remembered  that  these  last  words  occur  in 
the  same  paragraph  which  directs  us  to  regard  "  as  an 


v.]  CatecJiisni.  i6l 

heathen  man  and  a  publican  "  an  offending  "brother," 
who  neglects  "  to  hear  the  Church,"  and  in  which  the 
disciples  are  assured  that  "  whatsoever  "  they  "  shall 
bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven;"  (see  St. 
Matt,  xviii.  17,  18.)  IJoth  passages  seem  to  make 
"  the  gatliering  together  "  of  the  faithful  "  in  the  name 
of  Jesus  "  to  be  essential  to  the  infliction  of  a  censure 
of  excommunication. 

10.  Question. — Does  the  presence  of  the  Apostle  seem 
to  have  been  essential  also  ? 

A}is7ccr. — Yes ;  for  he  says,  "  When  ye  are  gathered 
together,  and  mi/  spirit."  He  could  not  be  with  them 
in  body ;  but  it  was  necessary  that  he  should  be  there 
in  spirit,  directing  the  infliction  of  the  censure,  as  one 
of  Christ's  ambassadors.  Therefore  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Chapter  he  says:  "I  verily,  as  absent  in  body, 
but  present  in  spirit,  have  judged  already,  as  though 
I  were  present,  concerning  him  that  hath  so  done  this 
deed"  (1  Cor.  v.  3).  And,  when  the  censure  was  to 
be  taken  off,  we  find  the  Apostle  speaking  of  his  own 
action  in  the  matter  as  necessary  to  be  joined  with  the 
action  of  the  Church  :  "  So  that  contrariwise  ye  ought 
rather  to  forgive  him,  and  comfort  him,  lest  perhaps 
such  an  one  should  be  swallowed  up  with  overmuch  sor- 
row. ...  To  whom  ye  forgive  any  thing,  /  forgive 
also :  for  if  I  forgave  any  thing,  to  whom  I  forgave  it, 
for  your  sakes  forgave  I  it  in  the  person  of  Christ " 
(2  Cor.  ii.  7,  10). 

11.  Question. — How  may  we  form  some  notion  of  the 
moral  power  which  excommunication  had  in 
primitive  times,  when  the  Church  was  a  small  and 
united  body  ? 

Answer. — By  observing  the  power  which  the  expul- 
sion of  one  ringleader  in  evil  often  exerts  in  a  school 
or  college.  An  infectious  example  and  an  unwhole- 
some influence  is  gotten  rid  of,  and  the  moral  tone  of 
the  school  or  college  is  restored. 

12.  Question. — In  what  words  does  our  Lord  assure  His 

L 


1 62  Catechism.  [chap. 

Church  that  their  sentences  of  excommunication 

and  absolution  shall  be  ratified  by  God  ? 

Answer. — "  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Whatsoever  ye 

shall  bind  on  earth  shall   be  bound  in  heaven  :  and 

whatsoever  ye  shall  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in 

heaven  "  (St.  Matt,  xviii.  18). 

13.  Question. — What  is  the  first  observation  to  be  made 
here? 

Answer. — That  the  same  power  which  is  here  lodged 
with  the  whole  Church,  had  been  already  given  to  St. 
Peter  alone.  "  And  I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys  of 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  :  and  whatsoever  iJwu  shalt  bind 
on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven  :  and  whatsoever  thou 
shalt  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven"  (St. 
Matt.  xvi.  19). 

14.  Quest/on. — How  are  we  to  understand  the  terms 
"  binding  "  and  "  loosing  "  ? 

Answer. — We  may  understand  them  generally  of 
every  exercise  of  Church  authority,  in  the  way  of  cen- 
sure or  absolution,  of  restriction  or  permission.  Thus 
the  delivering  the  incestuous  person  unto  Satan  (1  Cor. 
V.  5)  was  a  "  binding."  So  also  was  the  censure  of  St. 
Peter  upon  Ananias  and  Sapphira,  which  took  efi'ect  in 
"  the  destruction  of  the  flesh  "  (see  Acts  v.  3-C,  9,  10), 
God  ratifying  "  in  heaven  "  the  sentence  of  his  Apostle. 
So  also  was  St.  Paul's  censure  upon  Elynias  the  sor- 
cerer in  Acts  xiii.  11 :  "  And  now,  behold,  the  hand 
of  the  Lord  is  upon  thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  blind, 
not  seeing  the  sun  for  a  season  ;  "  which  also  was  rati- 
fied "  in  heaven  ;  "  for  we  read  that,  "  immediately 
there  fell  on  him  a  mist  and  a  darkness ;  and  he  went 
about  seeking  some  to  lead  him  by  the  hand."  And 
St.  Paul's  direction  to  the  Corinthians  to  forgive  the 
incestuous  person,  upon  his  true  repentance,  which  was 
quoted  just  now  (2  Cor.  ii.  7,  10),  was  a  "  loosing"  (or 
releasing)  him  from  the  censure  which  had  been  in- 
flicted on  him. 

15.  Catechist.—Bnt  you  said  that  the  terms  "  binding  " 
and  "loosing"  were  to  be  understood  also  of  pro- 


v.]  Catechism.  163 

hibition  and  permission.  Can  you  give  any  Scrip- 
tural instance  of  the  Church's  doing  this? 
Answer. — Yes.  When  the  first  Christian  Council 
(whose  proceedings  are  recorded  in  Acts  xv.)  excused 
the  Gentile  converts  from  the  obligations  of  circumci- 
sion and  the  Mosaic  ritual,  this  was  a  ''  loosing"  (see 
vers.  10,  19,  28).  And  when,  on  the  other  hand,  they 
still  made  binding  upon  these  converts  abstinence 
"  from  meats  offered  to  idols,  and  from  blood,  and  from 
things  strangled,  and  from  fornication"  (vers.  20,  29), 
this  was  a  "binding"  (or  restriction).  For  in  the 
sense  of  "  permission  "  and  "  restriction,"  the  Jewish 
Rabbis  were  accustomed  to  use  these  terms.  In  like 
manner,  when  St.  Paul  says  (Rom.  xiv.  14),  "I  know, 
and  am  persuaded  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  that  there  is 
nothing  unclean  of  itself;  "  and  again  (1  Cor.  viii.  4), 
"  As  concerning  .  .  .  the  eating  of  those  things  that 
are  offered  in  sacrifice  unto  idols,  we  know  that  an  idol 
is  nothing  in  the  world  ;  "  and  again  (1  Cor.  x.  25), 
"Whatsoever  is  sold  in  the  shambles,  that  eat;"  and 
again  (1  Tim.  iv.  4),  "  Every  creature  of  God  is  good, 
and  nothing  to  be  refused,  if  it  be  received  with  thanks- 
giving ;  "  he  "looses"  the  meats  offered  to  idols,  that 
is,  permits  the  free  use  of  them,  where  they  can  be  par- 
taken of  with  a  clear  conscience.  And  where,  on  the 
other  hand,  he  says  (Rom.  xiv.  14),  "  To  him  that 
esteemeth  anything  to  be  unclean,  to  him  it  is  unclean  ;" 
and  again  (ver.  28),  "  lie  that  doubteth  is  damned  if 
he  eat,  because  he  eateth  not  of  faith  ;"  and  again  (vers. 
13,  20),  "Judge  this  rather,  that  no  man  put  a  stum- 
bling-block or  an  occasion  to  fall  in  his  brother's  way, 
...  for  meat  destroy  not  the  work  of  God " — he 
"  binds  "  Christians  in  this  matter,  forbidding  them  to 
partake,  unless  they  were  fully  persuaded  of  the  law- 
fulness of  doing  so,  and  also  wherever  they  might,  by 
so  doing,  embolden  another  to  act  against  his  own  con- 
science. 

16.   Question. — What  further  signification  may  be  given 
to  the  words  "  binding  "  and  "  loosing  "  ? 
Answer. — The  authoritative   administration   of  the 


1 64  Catechism.  [chap. 

Sacraments,  through  which  (as  through  channels)  mercy 
and  grace  are  conveyed  to  the  soul ;  the  true  preaching 
of  Christ,  and  the  relief  experienced  therein  by  the  sin- 
burdened  conscience ;  as  also  every  formal  absolution 
or  declaration  of  pardon  through  His  name, — all  these 
are  forms  of  "loosing."  While  the  withholding  these 
means  of  grace,  the  refusing  Baptism  to  a  candidate 
considered  disqualified  for  it,  or  the  Lord's  Supper  to  a 
person  of  scandalous  life,  or  the  Burial  Office  to  one  who 
has  died  in  open  sin  or  avowed  infidelity,  or  the  pearl 
of  God's  Gospel  to  a  profane  man,  who  would  trample 
it  under  foot  and  do  a  mischief  to  the  preacher, — this 
would  be  a  "  binding  "  of  men's  sins  upon  them, — a 
"  retaining  of  sins." 

17.  CatecMst. — You  have  now  explained  the  passage  of 
St.  Matthew,  in  which  our  Lord,  directing  how 
off'enders  are  to  be  dealt  with,  gives  His  Church 
the  power  of  binding  and  loosing,  and  directs  that 
he  who  neglects  to  hear  the  Church  shall  be 
treated  "  as  a  heathen  man  and  a  publican."  But 
we  do  not  find  here  any  mention  of  Christian 
Ministers.  By  "  the  Church  "  is  meant  the  whole 
body  of  the  faithful.  And  so  far  as  this  passage 
goes,  we  gather  from  it,  that  the  power  of  "bind- 
ing" and  "loosing"  is  lodged  with  the  whole 
body.  Though  it  is  true  that,  when  St.  Paul  ex- 
communicates, and  afterwards  restores  an  ofi"en- 
der,  by  the  authority  which  these  words  of  our 
Lord  give  to  the  Church,  he  7«'??ise// appears  in  the 
matter  as  acting  with  authority  :  "  When  ye  are 
gathered  together,  and  my  spirit ;"  ..."  For 
your  sakes  forgave  I  it  in  the  person  of  Christ." 
What  other  words  of  our  Lord  fully  justify  St. 
Paul  in  claiming  and  exercising  this  authority,  in 
giving  directions  first  for  the  censure  of  the 
ofi"ender,  and  then,  when  he  was  brought  to  a 
right  mind  by  the  censure,  for  his  relief  from  it  ? 
Answer. — The  words  which  He  spake  when  He  met 
the  ten  Apostles  (St.  Thomas  being  absent)  on  the 
evening  of  the  Resurrection  Day  (St.  Johnxx.  19-24)  : 


v.]  Catechism.  165 

"  Then  the  same  day  at  evening,  being  the  first  day  of 
the  week,  when  the  doors  were  shut  where  the  disciples 
were  assembled  for  fear  of  the  Jews,  came  Jesus  and 
stood  in  the  midst,  and  saith  unto  them,  Peace  be  unto 
ynu.  And  when  he  had  so  said,  he  shewed  unto  them 
Lis  hands  and  his  side.  Then  were  the  disciples  glad, 
when  they  saw  the  Lord.  Then  said  Jesus  to  them 
again,  Peace  be  unto  you  :  as  my  Father  hath  sent  me, 
even  so  send  I  you.  And  when  he  had  said  this,  he 
breathed  on  them,  and  saith  unto  them,  lleceive  ye  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Whose  soever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are 
remitted  unto  them ;  and  whose  soever  sins  ye  retain, 
they  are  retained." 

18.  QuestioJi. — Is  there  anything  to  connect  this  pas- 
sage with  that  from  St.  Matthew's  Gospel,  which 
gives  the  power  of  ''binding"  and  "loosing"  to 
the  Church,  and  which  you  have  just  explained? 

Answer. — Yes.  In  the  context  of  the  former  pas- 
sage (St.  Mutt,  xviii.  20)  our  Lord  had  said,  "  Where 
two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  my  name,  there 
am  I  in  the  midst  of  them."  And  here  we  find  His 
little  flock  of  disciples  "  gathered  together  in "  His 
Name,  separate  from  the  world,  after  His  llesurrection  ; 
and  it  is  said  (as  if  to  mark  the  fulfilment  of  His  pro- 
mise), that  "  Jesus  came  and  stood  in  the  midst." 

19.  Question. — How  can  it  be  shown  that,  in  the  words 
now  before  us,  our  Lord  is  addressing  the  Apostles 
only? 

Answer. — Because  He  begins  them  thus  :  "  As  my 
Father  hath  sent  me,  even  so  send  I  you."  Now,  the 
word  here  translated  "  hath  sent "  (d7recrTaA.Ke)  is 
closely  connected  with  the  word  "Apostle,"  which 
means  a  messenger,  or  person  sent,  Christ  was  the 
Father's  Apostle,  just  as  St.  Peter  and  St.  John  were  His 
Apostles.  He  is  called  so,  Heb.  iii.  1 :  "  Consider  the 
Apostle  and  High  Priest  of  our  profession,  Christ  Jesus," 

20.  Question. — What  warrant  have  we  for  connecting 
this  passage  of  St.  John  with  the  rite  of  Ordi- 
nation?" 


1 66  Catechism.  [chap. 

Answer. — Those  who  compiled  the  Prayer-Book  of 
the  Church  of  England  evidently  thought  that  this  pas- 
sage -was  the  Church's  authority  for  Ordination,  because 
they  put  these  words  of  our  Lord  into  the  mouth  of  the 
Bishop,  when  ordaining  Priests.  See  "  The  Form  and 
Manner  of  Ordering  of  Priests  :  " — "  When  this  Prayer 
is  done,  the  Bishop  ivith  the  Priests  present  shall  lay 
their  hands  severally  upon  the  head  of  every  one  that  re- 
ceiveth  the  Order  of  Priesthood ;  the  Receivers  humbly 
Imeeling  upon  their  knees,  and  the  Bishop  saying,  Re- 
ceive the  Holy  Ghost  for  the  Office  and  Work  of  a 
Priest  in  the  Church  of  Grod,  now  committed  unto  thee 
by  the  Imposition  of  our  hands.  Whose  sins  thou  dost 
forgive,  they  are  forgiven  ;  and  whose  sins  thou  dost 
retain,  they  are  retained." 

21.  Question. — What  is  the  charge  which  immediately 
follows  these  words  in  the  Ordination  Service  ? 
and  how  does  it  throw  light  upon  the  meaning  of 
the  words  "  remitting"  and  "retaining"  sins? 

Ansrver. — The  charge  is  this  :  "  And  be  thou  a  faith- 
ful Dispenser  of  the  Word  of  God,  and  of  His  holy 
Sacraments  ;  In  the  Name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Amen."  This  charge  seems 
to  show  that  the  "  remitting  "  and  "  retaining  "  of  sins 
is  to  be  done  by  a  faithful  dispensation  of  the  Word  and 
Sacraments,  which  are  the  channels  through  which 
God's  mercy  and  grace  reach  sinful  men. 

22.  Catechist. — Show  from  Scripture  that  the  Word  and 
Sacraments  are  the  channels  of  God's  mercy  and 
grace  to  man  ? 

Ansioer. — "  Be  it  known  unto  you  therefore,  men  and 
brethren,  that  through  this  man  is  jj reached  unto  you  the 
forgiveness  of  sins  :  and  by  him  all  that  believe  are  justi- 
fied from  all  things,  from  which  ye  could  not  be  justified 
by  the  law  of  Moses  "  (Acts  xiii.  38,  39).  "Thus  it 
behoved  .  .  .  that  repentance  and  remission  of  sins 
shoidd  he  preached  in  his  name  among  all  nations  " 
(St.  Luke  xxiv.  46,  47).  "  And  all  things  are  of  God, 
who  hath  reconciled  us  to  himself  by  Jesus  Christ,  and 


v.]  Catcchisvi.  167 

hath  given  to  us  0\e  ministry  of  recnnciliation ;  to  wit, 
that  God  was  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto  him- 
self, not  imputing  their  trespasses  unto  them  ;  and  hath 
committed  unto  us  the  word  of  reconciliation.  Now 
then  we  are  ambassadors  for  Christ,  as  though  God  did 
beseech  you  by  us  :  we  pray  you  in  Christ's  stead,  be 
ye  reconciled  to  God.  For  he  hath  made  him  to  be  sin 
for  us,  who  knew  no  sin  ;  that  we  might  be  made  the 
righteousness  of  God  in  him"  (2  Cor.  v.  IS-end).  "  Re- 
pent, and  be  bajitized  every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall 
receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost "  (Acts  ii.  38). 
"  Arise,  and  be  baptized,  and  wash  away  thy  sins,  call- 
ing on  the  name  of  the  Lord  "  (Acts  xxii.  10).  "  And 
he  took  the  cup,  and  gave  thanks,  and  gave  it  to  them, 
saying,  Drink  ye  all  of  it;  for  this  is  my  blood  of  the 
new  testament,  which  is  shed  for  many  for  the  remis- 
sion ofsi7is"  (St.  Matt.  xxvi.  27,  28).  "  Whoso  eateth 
my  flesh,  and  drinketh  my  blood,  hath  eternal  life  " 
(John  vi.  54). 

23.   Question. — Will  you  then  paraphrase  these  words 
of  Christ  to  His  Apostles  :  "  lleceive  ye  the  Holy 
Ghost :  whose  soever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are  re- 
mitted  unto   them ;    and   whose   soever  sins   ye 
retain,  they  are  retained  "  ? 
A7iswer. — Receive  such  a  measure  of  the  gifts  and 
graces  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  shall  enable  you  to  dis- 
charge the  office  of  ambassadors  to  Me,  as  1  have  dis- 
charged  that    of   Ambassador  to  my  Father.      Whose 
soever  sins  ye,  speaking  in  my  Name  and  by  my  Spirit, 
pronounce  to  be  remitted,  they  are  remitted.     W^hatso- 
ever  terms  of  forgiveness  ye,  speaking  in  my  Name  and 
by  my  Spirit,  shall  lay  down,  those  1  will  ratify.    And 
whose  soever  sins  ye,  speaking  in  my  Name  and  by  my 
Spirit,  condemn  and  leave  without  a  sentence  of  abso- 
lution, they  are  condemned  and  left  upon  them.     And 
wherever,  by  the  Ministry  of  the  Sacraments,  ye  open 
the  sluices  of  grace  and  mercy  towards  man,    there 
grace  and  mercy  shall  always  flow  forth  ;  and  wherever 
ye  withhold  these  holy  Ordinances  (acting  still  in  my 


1 68  Catechism.  [chap. 

Name  and  by  my  Spirit),  there  grace  and  mercy  shall 
be  restrained.  In  brief,  I  will  ratify  your  preaching, 
your  censures,  your  absolutions,  and  all  your  ministerial 
acts. 


24.  Catechist. — It  is  not  difficult  to  understand,  that 
the  Ministry  of  the  Apostles  should  receive  from 
their  Master  such  a  sanction  as  this.  But  can  we 
suppose  that  the  Ministry  of  uninspired  men  has  a 
similar  sanction?  And  are  we  justified  in  apply- 
ing the  words  to  modern  Ministers  ? 

Answer. — So  far  forth  as  modern  Ministers  preach, 
warn,  censure,  absolve,  prohibit,  permit,  according  to 
the  principles  and  rules  which  the  Apostles  have  laid 
down  in  their  writings,  and  by  the  Spirit  which  actuated 
them,  so  far  doubtless  their  Ministry,  both  in  remitting 
and  retaining  sins,  will  have  God's  sanction,  as  that 
of  the  Apostles  had.  And  as  regards  the  Sacramental 
acts  of  a  Minister,  they  will  be  always  efi'ectual,  if  only 
"the  Sacraments  be  duly  ministered  according  to  Christ's 
ordinance  in  all  those  things  that  of  necessity  are  re- 
quisite to  the  same  "  (Art.  xix.),  and  if  the  parties  to 
whom  they  are  ministered  present  no  obstacle  to  their 
effect  by  impenitence  and  unbelief.  For  the  grace  of 
Sacraments  is  as  necessary  as  ever  to  the  being  and 
well-being  of  the  Church ;  and  we  have  the  Lord's 
own  promise  that  He  will  be  "  with "  His  Ministers 
"  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  It  is 
Christ's  commission  which  makes  Sacraments  valid, 
not  the  piety  or  high  character  of  the  administrator. 
No  unworthiness  of  Ministers,  therefore,  can  vitiate 
them.  "  The  effect  of  Christ's  ordinance "  is  not 
"  taken  away  by  their  wickedness,  nor  the  grace  of 
God's  gifts  diminished  from  such  as  by  faith  and 
rightly  do  receive  the  Sacraments  ministered  unto 
them ;  which  be  effectual,  because  of  Christ's  institu- 
tion and  promise,  although  they  be  ministered  by  evil 
men"  (Art.  xxvi.) 

25.  Catechist. — You  have  now  explained  satisfactorily 


v.]  Catechism.  169 

two  difficult  passages  of  Holy  Scripture, — one  of 

wliich  speaks  of  the  Church's  power  of  "  binding  " 

and  "  loosing  ;  "  the  other,  of  the  Apostles'  power 

of    "remitting"    and     "  retaining    sins."       The 

"loosing"  is  in  all  probability  the  same  as  the 

"remitting;"    the    "binding"  the    same  as  the 

"retaining."     ]iut  can  you  account  for  the  fact, 

that,  in  one  of  these  passages,  a  power  is  given  to 

the  "  Church,"  or  body  of  the  faithful,  which,  in 

the  other,  seems  to  be  limited  to  the  Apostles,  and 

their  representatives  ? 

Ansxocr. — Yes.     The  power  is  lodged  with  the  whole 

body   of   the  faithful ;  it  is  the   Church's   power,   the 

Church's  endowment ;  yet  it  is  delegated  to,  and  can 

only  be  wielded  by,  the  Church's  officers,  who  act  as  her 

organs  and  representatives. 

26.  Cafechist. — You  say  that  the  officers  (or  Ministers) 
of  the  Church  are  organs  of  the  whole  body  of  the 
faithful.  Expand  and  explain  the  image  which 
you  use. 
Answer. — I  can  easily  do  so.  The  natural  body  of  man 
is,  in  every  part  of  it,  endowed  with  sensation.  Sensa- 
tion is  the  heritage  or  common  property  of  the  entire 
body.  Y''et  there  are  certain  organs  of  sensation, 
through  which  alone  we  receive  impressions.  The 
organ  of  the  sense  of  sight,  is  the  eye  ;  of  the  sense  of 
hearing,  the  ear ;  of  the  sense  of  smelling,  the  nose  ; 
of  the  sense  of  taste,  the  palate  ;  of  the  sense  of  touch, 
the  hand  (and  indeed  every  other  member).  To  say 
that  sensation  is  the  property  or  endowment  of  the 
whole  body  is  quite  true.  But  it  is  also  true  to  say, 
that  the  various  acts  of  sensation  can  only  be  exercised 
through  the  various  organs  of  sense,  that  we  cannot  see 
but  through  the  eye,  hear  but  through  the  ear,  etc.  etc. 
In  like  manner,  the  powers  of  the  Church  are  really  the 
property  of  the  whole  body.  Laity,  as  well  as  clergy, 
have  (or  may  have)  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  therefore  the 
powers  of  binding  and  loosing,  remitting  and  retaining, 
which  go  with  that  gift,  belong  originally  to  all.  And 
yet  Ministers  are  the  organs  by  which  these  powers  are 


1 70  CatecJiism.  [chap. 

exercised,  just  as  the  eye  is  the  organ  of  sight,  and  the 
ear  of  hearing. 

27.  Catechist. — But  I  find  a  flaw  in  your  image.  Sight, 
I  admit,  is  the  endowment  of  the  eye  ;  hearing, 
the  endowment  of  the  ear,  etc.,  but  you  seem  to 
make  out  that  the  whole  body  is  endowed  with 
these  senses. 

Ansiver. — Nay ;  I  said  the  whole  body  is  endowed 
with  sensation.  Sensibility  in  various  forms  is  the  pro- 
perty of  all  of  it.  Sensibility  in  the  eye  is  called  sight ; 
in  the  ear,  hearing  ;  in  the  palate,  taste,  etc.  etc.  But 
that  sensibility  is  really  one  gift,  manifesting  itself  in 
various  forms,  seems  to  be  shown  by  this,  that  when  one 
of  the  avenues  of  the  senses  is  closed,  the  other  senses 
seem  to  become  keener.  Thus  ;  when  a  man  loses 
his  eyesight,  he  gains  a  more  delicate  sense  of  touch. 

28.  CatecMst. — But  you  said  that  Christian  Ministers 
were  not  only  organs,  but  representatives  of  the 
Church.  Was  this  the  case  with  the  Ministers  of 
the  Old  Dispensation  also  ? 

Ansiver. — It  was.  The  first-born  males  of  the  children 
of  Israel  were  properly  God's  Ministers,  sanctified  unto 
Him  by  His  own  ordinance  from  their  birth  ;  see  Exod. 
xiii.  2,  15.  But  afterwards  an  arrangement  was  made, 
by  which  the  tribe  of  Levi  was  set  apart  as  a  substitute 
for  the  first-born,  to  represent  them,  and  minister  to  the 
Lord  in  their  stead ;  see  Numbers  viii.  14-19  :  "  Thus 
shalt  thou  separate  the  Levites  from  among  the  children 
of  Israel ;  and  the  Levites  shall  be  mine.  And  after 
that  shall  the  Levites  go  in  to  do  the  service  of  the 
tabernacle  of  the  congregation :  and  thou  shalt  clean.se 
them,  and  ofi"er  them  for  an  offering.  For  they  are 
wholly  given  unto  me  from  among  the  children  of 
Israel;  instead  of  such  as  open  every  womb,  even 
instead  of  the  first-born  of  all  the  children  of  Israel, 
have  I  taken  them  unto  me.  For  all  the  first-born  of 
the  children  of  Israel  are  mine,  both  man  and  beast :  on 
the  day  that  I  smote  every  first-born  in  the  land  of  Egypt 
I  sanctified  them  for  myself.     And  I  have  taken  the 


v.]  Catechism.  171 

Levitcs  for  all  the  first-born  of  the  children  of  Israel," 
The  same  thing  is  also  told  us  in  Numbers  iii.  11-14. 

29.  Question. — Can  you  trace  the  same  principle  of 
representation  in  the  Ministry  of  the  early  Apo- 
stolic Church? 

Ansrtcr. — Yes.  In  the  messages  ■which  our  Lord 
sends  by  St.  John  to  the  angels  or  presiding  bishops 
of  the  Seven  Churches  of  Asia,  we  find  the  Churches 
addressed  through  their  bishops,  that  is,  through  their 
representatives.  Each  message  is  a  commentary  upon 
the  spiritual  state  of  the  whole  Church,  not  upon  that 
of  the  bishop  himself.  Hence  we  read  (Rev.  ii.  10) : 
"  Fear  none  of  those  things  which  Ihou  shalt  sufi'er : 
behold,  the  devil  shall  cast  some  of  you  into  prison, 
that  ye  may  be  tried  '  (the  bishop  suff"ered,  when  any 
members  of  his  flock  did) ;  and  at  the  end  of  each 
message,  we  have  a  promise  to  "  him  that  overcometh," 
evidently  given  to  the  Church  generally,  as  an  en- 
couragement to  their  steadfastness. 

30.  Question. — Does  the  idea  of  the  representative 
character  of  the  Clergy  still  linger  in  the  English 
language  ? 

Ansiver. — Yes.  It  is  to  be  found  in  the  word 
"  parson,"  which  is  merely  another  form  of  the  word 
"person,"  and  was  originally  only  a  vulgar  pronuncia- 
tion, before  it  became  a  distinct  word.  The  Latin 
word  "  persona,"  from  which  our  "  person "  comes, 
means  originally  a  mask  which  an  actor  puts  on  to 
personate  a  character ;  and  the  "  Dramatis  Personae  " 
of  a  play  are  the  actors  who  sustain  the  various  parts, 
and  who  are  to  make  such  and  such  speeches,  in  exhibi- 
tion of  the  characters  they  jjersonatc.  In  like  manner 
the  "  Person  of  a  Parish  "  is  the  man  who  represents 
it  before  God,  who  stands  for,  and  in  things  pertaining 
to  God  acts  for,  the  whole  Church  in  that  Parish. 

31.  Question. — What  illustration  of  the  office  and 
privileges  of  representatives  may  be  drawn  from 
our  political  constitution  ? 

Answer. — "We    have  our  Parliamentary  rcpresenta- 


1 7  2  Catechism.  [chap. 

tives  in  the  House  of  Commons.  The  powers  which 
they  exercise  really  belong  to  us,  for  it  is  we  who 
delegate  those  powers  to  them.  They  are  delegated  by 
us  to  Parliament,  to  make  the  voice  of  the  majority  of 
the  constituency  heard  there.  They  are  our  agents, 
who  give  to  our  opinion  on  political  questions  its  due 
weight  in  the  government  of  the  country.  But  it  does 
not  follow  from  the  fact  of  their  being  our  delegates, 
and  wielding  powers  which  are  essentially  ours,  that 
therefore  we  may  do  whatever  they  have  a  right  to  do. 
We  may  not  invade  their  privileges.  We  may  not 
ourselves  enter  the  House  of  Commons,  nor  speak 
there,  though  they  may  do  so.  In  like  manner,  Minis- 
ters are  only  representatives  of  the  Church ;  and 
every  spiritual  power  which  they  exercise  belongs 
originally  to  the  Church,  and  is  only  wielded  by  them 
as  the  Church's  representatives.  It  is  the  Church 
who  through  her  organs  -preaches,  absolves,  excom- 
municates, blesses,  consecrates.  But  it  does  not  follow 
that  ordinary  Christians  may  intrude  upon  the  func- 
tions of  the  ordained,  or  take  upon  them,  without  a 
call,  to  minister  the  Word  and  Sacraments,  any  more 
than  it  follows  that,  because  the  member  of  my  borough 
or  county  represents  me,  I  may  do  all  that  he  does,  or 
enjoy  all  his  prerogatives. 

32.  Question. — What  solemn  warning  have  we  in  the 
Old  Testament  against  an  invasion  of  ministerial 
functions  on  the  part  of  the  laity  ? 
Answer. — The  altogether  unprecedented  punishment 
of  Korah  and  his  company,  who  were  swallowed  up  by 
the  earth,  and  went  down  alive  into  Hades — the  place 
of  departed  spirits  (Num.  xvi.  29-34),  as  also  the  leprosy 
of  King  Uzziah,  which  was  inflicted  upon  him  in  con- 
sequence of  his  presuming  to  burn  incense  in  the  Holy 
Place  :  "  But  when  he  was  strong,  his  heart  was  lifted 
up  to  his  destruction  :  for  he  transgressed  against  the 
Lord  his  God,  and  went  into  the  temple  of  the  Lord  to 
burn  incense  upon  the  altar  of  incense.  And  Azariah 
the  priest  went  in  after  him,  and  with  him  fourscore 
priests  of  the  Lord,  that  were  valiant  men  :  and  they 


v.]  CatccJiisni.  173 

withstood  Uzziah  the  king,  and  said  unto  him,  It  apper- 
taincth  not  unto  thee,  Uzziah,  to  burn  incense  unto  the 
Lord,  but  to  the  priests  the  sons  of  Aaron,  that  are 
consecrated  to  burn  incense  :  go  out  of  the  sanctuary ; 
for  thou  hast  trespassed ;  neither  shall  it  be  for  thine 
honour  from  the  Lord  God.  Then  Uzziah  was  wroth, 
and  had  a  censer  in  his  hand  to  burn  incense  :  and, 
while  he  was  wroth  with  the  priests,  the  leprosy  even  rose 
up  in  his  forehead  before  the  priests  in  the  house  of  the 
Lord,  from  beside  the  incense  altar.  And  Azariah  the 
chief  priest,  and  all  the  priests,  looked  upon  him,  and, 
behold,  he  was  leprous  in  his  forehead,  and  they  thrust 
him  out  from  thence ;  yea,  himself  hasted  also  to  go 
out,  because  the  Lord  had  smitten  him."  (2  Chron. 
xxvi.  16-21.) 

33.  Question. — What  did  Korah,  Dathan,  and  Abiram 
allege  as  a  ground  of  their  rebellion,  which  was 
true  ? 

Answer. — They  said,  "  Ye  take  too  much  i;pon  you, 
seeing  all  the  congregation  are  holy,  every  one  of  them, 
and  the  Lord  is  among  them  "  (Num.  xvi.  3). 

34.  Catecliist. — Show  that  they  were  right,  when  they 

said  that  all  the  congregation  was  holy. 
Answer. — The  Lord  Himself  said  as  much  to  Moses  : 
"And  Moses  went  up  unto  Grod,and  the  Lord  called  unto 
him  out  of  the  mountain,  saying,  Thus  shalt  thou  say 
to  the  house  of  Jacob,  and  tell  the  children  of  Israel ; 
Ye  have  seen  what  I  did  unto  the  Egyptians,  and  how 
I  bare  you  on  eagles'  wings,  and  brought  you  unto 
myself.  Now  therefore,  if  ye  will  obey  my  voice 
indeed,  and  keep  my  covenant,  then  ye  shall  be  a 
peculiar  treasure  unto  me  above  all  people :  for  all  the 
earth  is  mine  :  and  ye  shall  he  imto  me  a  kingdom  of 
priests  and  an  holy  nation.  These  are  the  words  which 
thou  shalt  speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel "  (Exod. 
xix.  3-7), 

35.  Catechist. — Show  that   the  Lord  was  among  the 

people,  as  the  rebels  said. 
Answer. — In  Exod.  xxix.  45,  we  find  God  promising 


1 74  Catechism.  [chap.  v. 

to  Moses  :  "  And  I  will  dwell  among  the  children  of 
Israel,  and  will  be  their  God." 

36.  Question. — Why  did  not  these  truths  justify  the 
rebels  in  what  they  did  ? 
Ansiver. — Because,  though  the  whole  nation  was  "  a 
kingdom  of  priests,"  yet  God  had  appointed  a  certain 
tribe  and  family  to  be,  in  things  pertaining  to  God,  the 
representatives  of  the  nation ;  and  no  one  might  tres- 
pass upon  the  functions  of  this  tribe  and  family  without 
incurring  great  guilt  and  signal  punishment.  Christians 
are  all  called  priests,  laity  and  clergy  alike :  "  Ye 
also,  as  lively  stones,  are  built  up  a  spiritual  house,  an 
Tioly  ^^nestlwodj  to  offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices,  accept- 
able to  God  by  Jesus  Christ.  .  .  .  But  ye  are  a  chosen 
generation,  a  royal  p7'iesthood,  an  holy  nation,  a  peculiar 
people ;  that  ye  should  show  forth  the  praises  of  him 
who  hath  called  you  out  of  darkness  into  his  marvellous 
light"  (1  Pet.  ii.  5,  9);  and,  "Unto  him  that  loved 
us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood,  and 
hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  his 
Father ;  to  him  be  glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and 
ever.  Amen "  (Rev.  i.  5,  6).  Yet  there  is  among 
Christians  also  a  representative  Ministry ;  and  it  does 
not  follow  that  those  who  are  not  called  to  it  may 
invade  the  functions  of  those  who  are. 

37.   Question. — Is  there  any  ministerial  function  which 
the  laity  might  perform,  and  which  has  been  at 
various  periods  and  in  various  Communions  per- 
formed by  them  ? 
Ansiver. — Yes ;  they  might  preach  under  the  licence 
of  the  Bishop,  issued  to  them  after  he  had  satisfied 
himself  of  their  competency  for  that  important  office. 
But  this  would  not  be  ministering  without  authority. 
A    fragment    of   the    Ministerial    Commission    would 
devolve  upon  the  person  so  licensed.     He  would  have 
received  "  authority  to  preach  the  Word  of  God,"  not 
indeed  as  his  calling,  or  the  main  business  of  his  life, 
but  as  opportunity  offered,  and  as  his  services  were 
sought,  in  subordination  to  the  regular  Ministry. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST  AT  ITS  SUCCESSIVE 
STAGES. 

"Jpcing  seen  of  them  fortn  baiis,  anb  s^icalung  of  the 
things  pertaining  to  the  hingbom  of  (5oi)."— Acts 
I-  3- 

THERE  was  a  deep  and  manifold  simificance  srfjrfcfoiu 
,  •     1       r.    .•  /  1  •  1     \    purpose  of  tlje 

in   the  period  of  time  (nearly   six  weeks),  orratjrorig 

wliicli  elapsed  between  our  Lord's  triumph  over  ciaVs^ 
death  and  His  triumphant  entrance  into  Heaven,  lusumctum 
First,  so  long  a  tract  of  time  was  designed  to  give  ^srrnsion  of 
"  ample  room  and  verge  enough  "  for  evidences  of 
the  Resurrection.  Christ  was  to  be  seen  on  all 
manner  of  occasions,  in  divers  places,  and  by 
divers  persons ;  and  this  of  itself  asked  time. 
Then,  secondly,  the  disciples  were  to  be  gently 
and  gradually  weaned  from  the  support  and 
comfort  of  His  bodily  presence;  it  was  not  to 
be  abruptly  withdrawn  from  them,  but  to  recede 
gradually  like  an  ebbing  tide,  which  ever  and 
anon  steals  up,  and  kisses  that  line  of  sand  and 
sea-weed,  where  its  little  foam-flakes  are  dissolv- 
ing, and  which  we  thought  it  had  finally  aban- 
doned. But,  thirdly,  we  discover  a  significance  in 
these  Forty  Days,  even  more  important  than  the 
conviction  of  the  world,  and  tlie  consolation  of 

175 


176 


The  Holy  EucJim^ist         [cHAr. 


iScrapitula- 
tion  of  tl)C 
sriirral 

instttutions, 
tlic  0fTins  of 
Sxihicli  torrc 
laiU  during 
11)13  pcrioa. 


the  earliest  disciples.  Our  Lord  during  those 
Forty  Days  traced,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  earlier 
Chapters  of  this  work,  the  foundations  of  His 
Church.  "  He  spake  to  them,"  says  the  Evan- 
gelist, "  of  the  things  pertaining  to  the  kingdom 
of  God."  This  was  the  great  seminal  period,  upon 
which  we  find  the  germs  of  Church  Institutions 
and  Church  Ordinances  lying,  as  they  were  scat- 
tered by  the  hand  of  Christ  Himself.  Consider, 
in  order  that  we  may  prosecute  the  argument  on 
a  safe  basis  of  fact,  how  many  of  these  germs  we 
have  already  found  in  this  period.  First,  we  find 
constantly  the  Presence  of  Christ  in  His  risen 
body  among  the  three  or  four  disciples  gathered 
together  in  His  Name — the  germ  this  of  the 
Christian  Congregation.  Secondly,  there  is  the 
express  institution  of  Missionary  Preaching ;  "  Go 
ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
every  creature."  Thirdly,  the  express  institution 
of  Christian  Baptism ;  "  Go  ye  and  make  disciples 
of  all  nations,  baptizing  them  into  the  Name  of 
the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 
Fourthly,  the  express  institution  of  Church  Preach- 
ing, the  regular  instruction  of  Christian  people  in 
the  truth  of  Christ ;  "  Teaching  them  to  observe 
all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you." 
Fifthly,  the  no  less  clear  implication  in  the  same 
words,  that  the  Church  was  to  conduct  Christian 
Education,  since  the  teaching  in  question  is  that 
which  was  appointed  to  follow  upon  Baptism ;  and 
Christ  must  have  known  that,  when  His  Church 
had  won  for  herself  a  footing  in  the  earth.  Infant 
Baptism  would  be  her  universal  rule.    Sixthly,  the 


VI.]  at  ils  successive  stages.  1 7  7 

direct  institiitiou  of  the  Christian  ^Ministry,  as  an 
organ  and  representative  of  the  Church,  wielding 
those  powers  which  had  been  deposited  with  the 
whole  body ;  "  Peace  be  unto  you :  as  my  Father 
hath  sent  me,  even  so  send  I  you.  And  when  he 
had  said  this,  lie  breathed  on  them,  and  saith  unto 
them,  Eeceive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost."  Seventhly, 
the  power  of  this  ]Ministry,  as  representing  the 
Church,  both  to  absolve  and  censure;  "Whose 
soever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are  remitted  unto  them ; 
and  wdiose  soever  sins  ye  retain,  they  are  retained." 
The  other  (and  perhaps  more  attractive)  aspect 
of  the  ^Ministry,  as  a  Pastorate  appointed  for  the 
feeding  of  the  Church  with  the  Word  and  Sacra-  • 
ments,  as  also  for  the  guidance  and  governance 
of  it,  was  also  brought  out  during  this  period  of 
Forty  Days,  by  our  Lord's  threefold  charge  to  the 
penitent  and  then  re-instated  Apostle;  "Feed 
my  lambs  ; "  "  Feed  my  sheep ;"  "  Feed  my 
sheep." 

Surely  all  these  instances  are  quite  sufficient  to 
establish  the  position  that  during  His  Forty  Days' 
sojourn  upon  earth  our  Lord  employed  Himself 
in  tracing  an  outline  of  the  various  Church  Offices 
and  Institutions,  which  His  Apostles,  under  the 
influence  of  His  Spirit,  sent  down  upon  them  at  ©nc  bjouiu 
Pentecost,  would  have  to  develope.  somf'nfmnrc 

And  if  this  were  indeed  so,  can  we  suppose  that  si^pa  "^  ® 
during  this  significant  period  He  would  omit  all  ^^n^^,  '^'^ 
reference  to  the  highest  and  most  blessed  of  all  Sftcrs- 
Church  Observances— the  Supper  of  the  Lord  ?  tli^^,^ 
That  Supper,  as  its  nature  and  peculiar  significance  ^aliJlfr,  tern 
demanded,  had  been  of  necessity  instituted  previ-  p"cto;l,"Jsi'g. 

M 


I  yS  The  Holy  EiicJiarist        [chap. 

ously.  A  memorial  of  the  dying  Lord,  by  the 
faithful  use  of  which  His  followers  were  to  call 
Him  to  mind,  could  have  been  at  no  season  so  ap- 
propriately given  as  on  the  eve  of  His  death ;  may 
we  not  say,  could  not  have  been  appropriately 
given  at  any  other  season  ?  By  that  beautiful  and 
wise  arrangement,  according  to  which  our  Lord 
connected  all  His  great  deeds  and  discourses  with 
certain  circumstances,  which  in  the  order  of  God's 
Providence  emerged  under  His  eyes,  the  Holy 
Supper  grew  out  of  an  occasion — the  greatest,  most 
solemn,  most  tender,  most  sacred  occasion,  which 
ever  gave  birth  to  a  great  Institution.  It  grew  out 
of  the  occasion  of  His  partaking  of  His  last  meal 
with  His  disciples,  and  was  (in  one  aspect  of  it, 
though  not  the  highest,  nor  the  most  important  for 
the  Church  at  large)  the  beautiful  utterance  and 
outcome  of  His  exceeding  tenderness  for  those  He 
was  leaving  behind  in  a  world  of  sin  and  sorrow. 
It  was  the  bequeathing  to  them  of  a  token  of 
affection,  by  which,  during  His  bodily  absence, 
He  might  become  present  to  them,  not  only  to 
their  imaginations  by  the  power  of  association, 
but  to  their  hearts  and  consciences  by  an  invisible, 
though  most  real,  communion  with  Him.  But  as 
the  Supper  was  to  be  disentangled  from  its  earliest 
and  personal  surroundings,  and  to  become  an 
Ordinance  for  the  Church  at  large,  and  for  dis- 
ciples who  had  never  known  the  Lord  in  the  flesh, 
it  seems  the  most  reasonable  of  all  reasonable 
expectations  that  we  should  find  some  marked 
allusion  to  it  during  the  period  of  founding  the 
Church,  when  He  was  tracing  the  outline,  which 


VI.]  at  its  sjicccssive  stages.  1 79 

His  Apostles  were  afterwards  to  fill  up,  of  its 
various  Institutions. 
"  And  our  expectations  are  fully  met.     On  the  anu  ^f  enu 
very  day  of  His  Eesurrection,  on  the  very  first  oc-  Sof  thf"" 
casion  of  an  in-doors  meeting  with  two  or  three  S.™/''"" 
of  His  disciples  (for  among  the  various  manifesta-  SSiitout 
tions  of  that  day  no  such  occasion  had,  as  far  as  jcScn„, 
we  know,  yet  occurred),  He  performed  an  action, 
which,  while  it  certainly  cannot  be  called  a  cele- 
bration of  the  Holy  Communion   (for  we  read 
nothing  of  the  species  of  wine,  which  bore  so  pro- 
minent a  part  in  the  original  institution),  was  yet 
as  certainly  an  allusion  to  the  Ordinance,  and  a  re- 
minder of  it,  and  an  allusion  and  a  reminder  full  of 
instruction  as  to  its  effects, blessings, and  obligation. 

The  story  is  familiar  to  all.  Two  of  Christ's  j-j,,.  joumro 
disciples,  plunged  into  despondency  by  the  disap-  nnftiircmf-' 
pointment  of  their  hopes  respecting  Him,  and  I'lJ^fJa^" "" 
apparently  giving  up  His  cause  for  lost,  had  gone 
on  the  Resurrection  Day  to  Emmaus,  which  was 
perhaps  their  village  home.  They  were  neither 
of  them  Apostles,  but  simple  disciples,  one  called 
Cleopas,  the  other  very  probably  the  Evangelist 
who  narrates  the  incident.  He  joined  them  in  a 
disguise  which  prevented  their  recognising  Him, 
asked  a  share  in  their  conversation  and  their 
sorrows,  and,  when  admitted  to  their  confidence, 
showed  them  how  the  events  which  they  deemed 
so  disastrous  were  really  part  of  Messiah's  pre- 
dicted career,  and  essential  preliminaries  of  His 
triumph.  Their  hearts  were  in  a  glow  of  interest 
as  He  unfolded  the  meaning  of  the  prophecies ; 
so  much  so,  that  when  they  arrived  at  their  desti- 


i8o  The  Holy  Eucharist         [chap. 

nation,  they  would  take  no  denial  but  that  He 
must  be  their  guest.     "  And  he  \vent  in  to  tarry 
with  them.     And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  sat  at 
meat  with  them,  he  took  bread,  and  blessed  it, 
and  brake,  and  gave  to  them." 
Sameness  of       The  words  are  almost  identical  with  those  by 
loflpl'toi'Hr,    which   the   two    first    Evangelists    describe   the 
^t  iflatHifm  institution   of  the   first   part   of  the   Eucharist, 
mort'tbf  °'^''  and    carry   our  minds   irresistibly   to    that    in- 
tilfririirr"  °^  stitution.     Possibly,  however,  had  no  more  been 
^"rijarlst     said,   we   might    have   thought   the   coincidence 
of  phraseology  merely  accidental.     But  more  is 
said.      The    narrator    fixes    our    minds   on    the 
action   of  breaking   the   bread,  as   having  been 
attended   with    an    extraordinary    effect,   which 
no  other  part   of  the   interview  had  produced. 
attmKon       This  was  the   dropping  of  the   disguise,  which 
raiicBtoti^e    hitherto  had  prevented  recognition.     "And  their 
taakms  tf)c    eyes  were  opened,  and  they  knew  him."     But  as 
soon  as  they  became  sensible  of  His  Presence,  it 
was  withdrawn.     It  eluded  their  grasp ;  it  would 
not  be  detained  ;  "  he  vanished  out  of  their  sight." 
Springing  to  their  feet  at  once,  their  doubts  re- 
moved by  sight,  and  their  disconsolateness  by  the 
assurance  of  having  held  actual  communion  with 
Him,  they  returned  to  the  little  company  of  the 
Apostles  with  the  glad  tidings ;  "  and  they  told 
what  things  were  done  in  the  way,  and  how  he 
Efje'brcafe-    was  known  of  them  in  hreakinq  of  bread"  (ev 

ins  of  tijc  <j      o  \ 

liitas'  tt)c     r^  Kkaaei  rov  dprov); — "the  breaking  of  bread" 

term  usci  bn'.  ,.        ,i  •      r^,      t     i         j 

tije  i3rimitn)c  bcmj^  the  very  term  used  by  this  St.  Luke  to 
irnoutijc  denote  the  Eucharist,  and  the  persistent  cele- 
iije  ffiuciiarist.  bration  of  it,  in  the  primitive  Church.      "  And 


VI.]  at  its  successive  stages.  iSi 

they"  (the  three  thousand  souls  converted  at 
Pentecost)  "  continued  steadfastly  in  the  apostles' 
doctrine  and  fellowship,  and  in  breaking  of  bread 
{tti  KXdaei.  rou  apTOv),  and  in  prayers." 

"  The  breaking  of  the  bread " — mark  it  well.  Hmmftiiatc 
The  Church  was  only  just  born.     It  was  the  day  tiK^cF^ilnriBi 
of  Pentecost,  the  day  when  Christ's  risen  life  had  b'vthta/of 
first  pervaded  the  community  of  the  disciples,  and  '^'      "■'' 
knit  them  together  into  one  communion  and  fel- 
lowship.    And  yet  "the  breaking  of  the  bread" 
is  spoken  of  as  a  regular  Institution,  which  had 
burst  into  full  blossom  already  at  this  earliest  of 
early  periods.     It  was  practised,  as  St.  Luke  goes 
on  to  inform  us,  not  in  public,  in  the  presence  of  ^rifanro  of 
unbelievers,  but  (as  our  Lord  had  set  the  example)  ft'if^^auons 
within  doors,  "  from  house  to  house,"  and  it  was 
always  an  occasion  of  joy  and  festal  thankfulness 
— ^joy  and  thankfulness,  doubtless,  arising  chiefly 
from  the  blessed  significance  of  the  rite,  now  seen 
under  the  light  of  Pentecost,  yet  not  surely  with- 
out some  reference  to  that  earlier  burst  of  joy  at 
Emmaus,  when  the  Lord  was  made  known  to  two 
of  His  disciples  "  in  the  breaking  of  the  bread." 
"'  And  they,"  the  words  are,  "  continuing  daily  with 
one  accord  in  the  temple,  and  breaking  bread 
from  house  to  house,  did  eat  their  meat "  (partook 
of  the  entertainments,  in  the  midst  of  which  the 
Lord's  Supper  was  celebrated)  "  with  gladness  and 
singleness   of  heart,   praising   God,   and   having 
favour  with  all  the  people." 

Let  us  now  study  for  a  short  time  this  Ordi- 
nance of  the  Eucharist,  instituted  on  the  eve  of 


l82 


The  Holy  EiLcharist         [chap. 


GTfjrist'a 
tcsign  of 
iiscutnnotins 
Hk  ©rUinnncc 
from  its 
snUimcntal 
relation  to  tf)c 
apostka, 


maUe  mani- 
fest bu  toljat 
passed  at 
ffimmaus. 


our  Lord's  death,  and  revived,  if  I  may  say  so, 
with  new  associations  on  the  day  of  His  Eesur- 
rection,  stamped  afresh  with  His  risen  authority, 
consecrated  afresh  with  Easter  blessing. 

1.  And  first  observe  (what  has  been  akeady  briefly 
touched  on)  how  clearly  what  passed  at  Emmaus 
intimates  that,  in  Christ's  design,  the  Ordinance 
was  to  be  disentangled  from  what  I  may  venture 
to  call  its  sentimental  relation  to  the  Apostles, — 
the  peculiarly  touching  and  tender  associations, 
with  which  in  their  minds  it  must  have  been  in- 
vested, the  deep  solemnity  of  the  farewell  meal, 
His  considerateness  in  leaving  them  a  memorial 
of  Himself,  and  so  forth.  Cleopas  and  the  other 
disciple  had  not  been  present  at  the  original  In- 
stitution,— could  not  therefore  have  shared  in  the 
associations  connected  with  it.  And  yet  the 
phraseology  used  by  the  Evangelist,  and  the  cir- 
cumstance of  our  Lord's  fastening  the  attention 
of  the  disciples  on  the  breaking  of  bread,  as  the 
critical  point  of  the  interview,  by  opening  their 
eyes  at  that  point,  force  upon  us  (as  I  have  said) 
the  belief  that  though  He  is  not  celebrating  the 
Eucharist,  He  is  designedly  indicating  it,  referring 
to  it,  and  bringing  it  under  the  notice  of  His 
Church  once  more.  What  are  we  to  infer  ?  What 
but  that  it  was  to  be  an  Ordinance  for  all  time, 
and  all  believers, — an  Ordinance  which,  though 
it  had  local  surroundings,  and  an  occasion  out  of 
which  it  grew,  wi^s  yet  to  detach  itself  from  these, 
and  soar  above  them  ?  It  was  to  be  much  more 
than  a  touching  and  tender  greeting  of  valediction 
to  the  Apostles  (though  this  it  was) ;  it  was  to  be 


VI.]  at  its  successive  stages.  183 

a  greeting  of  salutation  also  by  a  risen  and  living 
Lord  to  His  whole  Church,  a  gi-eeting  ^vhich  had 
much  more  in  it  than  a  sanctified  memory,  a 
greeting  -which  had  in  it  a  present  power  and 
light.  This  is  the  new  aspect  which  the  Supper 
assumed,  under  the  light  shed  upon  it  by  the 
Emmaus  interview. 

2.  "We  shall  gain  a  further  insight   into   the 
meaning  of  the  holy  rite,  if  we  view  it  in  con- 
nexion with  the  words  which,  in  the  accounts  of  all 
three  Evangelists,  accompanied   the   Institution. 
These  I  give  in  St.  Luke's  version  of  them,  which  inst.uukc's 
is  somewhat  more  full  than  that  of  the  earlier  ttjc  Cnstitu- 
Evangelists  :  "  "When  the  hour  was  come,  he  sat  n-ort  ijoiiig 
down,  and  the  twelve  apostles  with  him.     And  n0nin''fati'n3 
he  said  unto  them,  "With  desire  I  have  desired  to  toith  i^ls'"^ 
eat  this  passover  with  you  before  I  suffer :  for  I  bjf/fn/iK 
say  unto  you,  /  vnll  not  any  more  cat  thereof,  until  go^  sIjou^u 
it  he  fulfilled  in  the  Icincjclom  of  God.   And  he  took  'J'^''"''""- 
the  cup,  and  gave  thanks,  and  said,  Take  this  and 
divide  it  among  yourselves :  for  I  say  unto  you, 
I  will  not  drink  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine,  until  the 
Icingdom  of  God  shall  eome."    The  words  e\idently 
imply  that  when  it  should  be  fulfilled  in  the  king- 
dom of  God,  when  the  kingdom  of  God  was  come, 
our  Lord  would  again  eat  that  Passover  with  His 
disci^jles,  and  drink  with  them  of  the  fruit  of  the 
vine.     They  were  again  to  banquet  together,  only 
in  a  new  state  of  things  which  should  supervene 
hereafter,  as  He  said  somewhat  more  explicitly  citorDs  of 
shortly  aftei-wards ;    "  Ye   are  they  which  have  ^^mm\  0copc 
continued  with  me  in  my  temptations.     And  I  si'onb 
appoint  unto  you  a  kingdom,  as  my  Father  hath  """'"^'^2- 


The  Holy  Euchai-ist         [chap. 


3KnnarlinI)If 
tiiffrTfncf  of 
the  tbjo  snD- 
ings,  iuiiilc 
tljcir  grnfral 
t'-nor  is  tijc 
same. 


appointed  unto  me ;  that  y&  may  cat  and  drink  at 
my  table  in  my  kingdom." 

The  question  which  naturally  arises  upon  these 
passages  is,  Wliat  is  the  period  to  which  Christ 
refers,  as  that  at  which  He  shall  make  His  dis- 
ciples sharers  of  His  Table,  and  shall  Himself  eat 
and  drink  with  them  once  more  ?  And  in  answer- 
ing this  question,  let  us- not  tie  the  words  up  to  one 
fulfilment;  for  there  is  a  glorious  richness  and 
fulness  in  them,  which  defies  all  such  limitation. 
While  the  meaning  of  man's  words  is  often  poor 
and  thin,  God's  words  have  an  exhaustless  mean- 
ing. We  must  regard  these  words  of  our  Divine 
Saviour  as  having  a  continuous  and  progressive 
fulfilment,  reaching  down  the  long  perspective  of 
the  ages  far  as  the  mind's  eye  can  penetrate,  till 
the  vista  is  closed  by  the  Marriage  Supper  of  the 
Lamb, 

Observe,  first,  that  the  two  passages  just 
quoted  exhibit  a  general  sameness  of  idea,  witli 
however  one  specific  difference  of  great  interest. 
A  common  entertainment  for  Master  and  dis- 
ciples is  the  general  idea ;  but  in  the  former  pas- 
sage it  is  He  who  is  to  eat  with  them.  "  I  will 
not  any  more  eat  thereof,  until"  ..."  J  will  not 
drink  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine,  until  .  .  .  ;"  in 
the  latter  it  is  they  who  are  to  eat  with  Him ; 
"  that  ye  may  eat  and  drink  at  my  table."  It 
is  as  if  in  the  earlier  fulfilments  of  the  words, 
the  disciples  should  make  for  Him  a  supper, 
which  He  would  graciously  condescend  to  share  ; 
but  in  its  later  or  latest  fulfilment,  He  would 
make  for  them  a  supper,  and  invite  them  to  jiar- 


\' I . ]  at  its  siicccssh x  stages.  1 8  5 

take  of  it.     And  such  is  indeed  the  course  which 

the  fulfilment  takes,     I  find   the  earliest  fulfil- fhr  (Fmmnus 

.  .  Supprr  thr 

nient  of  the  words  in  the  Emmaus  interview.     In  cariirst  fuici- 

.     mrnt  of  tht 

a  certain  sense,  though  not  as  yet  completely,  it  promise  to  cat 
had  been  fulfilled  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  when  iuiih  tfifm 
Christ  was  risen  from  the  dead.     By  His  Death  thr  setting  up 
and  Resurrection,  the  relation  between  a  holy  God  kinjjuom. 
and  guilty  sinners   had  been   altered,   and  the 
foundations   of  the    New    Economy   had    been 
securely  laid.     Christ's  work  of  atonement  and 
merit  was  finished,  and  was  declared  by  the  re- 
surrection to  have  been  accepted.     And  now  He 
sits  down  to  meat  with  them  once  again,  and, 
while  the  meat  is  yet  in  their  mouths,  fills  them 
with  joy  in  the  discernment  of  His  own  Presence 
— this  joy  being  a  drop,  if  only  a  drop,  of  the  new 
wine  of  the  kingdom,  the  wine  which  makes  glad 
not  the  animal  but  the  spiritual  part  of  our  nature. 

If  this  Emmaus  supper  was  not  an  actual  Com-  criu's  supper 
munion   (and  an  actual   Communion  could  not  Communion, 
yet  take  place,  any  more  than  an  actual  Baptism,  to  com- 
before  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost),  it  was  a '"""'"  ' 
prelude  to  all  the  Communions  which  have  ever 
been,  a  foreshadowing  and  an  earnest  of  them  all. 
And  the  same  remark  will  apply  doubtless,  more  antt  so  also 

1  i.         n    i.1  •  1-1  T        1    *'"■"'  occasioix 

or  less,  to  all  the  occasions  on  which  our  Lord,  of  eating  anu 
manifested  to  His  disciples  in  the  Body  of  His  tiirm.'afferijc 
liesurrection,  ate  and  drank  with  them  after  He  seaii."'" 
rose  from  the  dead.     They  Avere  all  rehearsals  of 
the  Communion  Feasts.,  which  should  take  place 
when  the  Spirit  was  given,  and  when  the  Institu- 
tions of  the  Church  were  filled  with  the  risen  life 
of  her  Master. 


1 86  The  Holy  Ettcha7'ist        [chap. 

ffKfjm  \\st         Ten  days  after  the  Ascension  that  great  event 
ffioti  batj       occurred ;  a  more  complete  fulfihnent  in  the  King- 
nrribrtaf      dom  01  God,  Q.  fuller  and  more  blessed  Advent  of 
mcMg,     ^^^^  Kingdom,  took  place,  than  any  of  which  the 
world  had  had  experience  hitherto ;  Jesus  was  ex- 
alted and  glorified,  and  His  Church,  animated  and 
governed  by  His  Spirit,  just  as  the  members  of  the 
body  are  animated  by  the  life  and  governed  by  the 
brain,  represented  Him  on  earth.    And  the  Lord's 
Supper,  like  all  other  parts  of  the  Church  system, 
„  „     .      received  then  a  olorification  and  upliftinf^  as  beino: 

llic  EorU  3  °  .  .  . 

Supprr,  in     then  first  pervaded  wdth  the  ^iorified  life  of  Christ. 

common  ixntJi  ^  ^ 

otiu-r  parts  of  It  was  now  uo  lougcr  a  mere  memento  and  lef^acy 

ll)c  Ctiurd)  .  .  .  o      J 

sustrm,         of  His  dying  love,  though  this  earliest  character  in 
jjioriScation,   which  it  appeared  can  never  be  effaced  from  it. 
Nor  was  it  a  mere  banquet  of  the  Eisen  Saviour 
with  His  disciples,  a  banquet  sweetened  by  the 
joy  of  reunion  with  Him.     But  it  became  now 
the  Festival  of  the  New  Dispensation,  blessed  and 
graced  with  His  Spiritual  Presence  (a  higher  and 
greater  thing  than  even  the  Presence  of  His  risen 
irccoming  fi)c  natural  Body),  and  in  which  He  communicates 
flrc|mrtium  Himsclf  to  His  faithful  people  in  the  closest  of 
snuSrof  ^11  unions,  they  dwelling  in  Him,  as  a  body  in  its 
Mmmimfmi    atmospherc,  He  in  them  as  a  soul  in  its  body. 
toiuifcan'if  Thus  was  the  Eucharist  in  a  manner  raised  to  a 
^art'^''  °"     higher  platform,  and  yet  without  any  loss  of  its 
early  associations.     It  is  still,  as  of  old,  Christ 
eating  and  drinking  with  His  little  flock,  presid- 
ing at  the  board,  distributing  to  them  the  signifi- 
cant  and   efficacious  symbols,    not  now   in  the 
Presence  of  His  natural  (or  even  of  His  risen) 
Body,  but  in  the  power  and  plenitude  of  His  Picsur- 


VI.]  at  its  successive  stages.  187 

rectiou  life.     It  seems  to  me  that  the  true  view 
of  the  Ordinauce  has  been  obscured,  and  a  way- 
opened  for  the  entrance  of  false  and  uuscriptural 
views,  by  dropping;  this  very  important  feature  of  get  stiii  it« 
Christ's  personally  presiding  at  the  Communion  tfonl  aff  no?' 
board,  as  Himself  master  of  the  feast,  and  (through  tb"6?oppinfl'' 
the  instrumentality  of  His  jNIinisters)  communi-  "brm^a^ariig 
eating  to  each  recipient  the  blessings  of  the  Ordi-  uon  on"j?' 
nance.     He  is  also,  no  doubt,  the  food  partaken  ®'^^'"^""- 
of,  no  less  than  the  master  of  the  feast;  but  the 
dropping  the  thought  of  Him  in  the  latter  cha- 
racter has  had  no  slight   mischievous  effect  in 
paving  the  way  for  the  carnal  doctrine  of  Tran- 
substantiation.     Eevert  in  thought  to  the  original 
Institution  of  the  Ordinance,  and  it  is  at  once  seen 
that  what  He  gave  to  the  Apostles  as  His  Body 
and  Blood  cannot  have  been  so  in  the  literal  or 
natural  sense. 

But  although  the  Holy  Ghost  has  long  since 
descended,  and  although  since  His  descent  many 
and  various  have  been  the  fortunes  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  so  that  we  may  well  suppose  her 
probation  to  be  now  drawing  to  a  close,  it  is  not 
yet  altofjcthcr  fulfilled  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  nor,  Kh,t  cfjurrfi ' 
so  long  as  we  are  yet  instructed  to  jjray,  "  Thy  %  anai''^  *" 
kingdom  come,"  has  the  kingdom  yet  arrived  in  kmscim  oV 
all  its  fulness.    "  AVe  see  not  yet  all  things  put  '^°^' 
under"  the  Ilisen  Saviour,  though  doubtless  they 
are  in  process  of  subjugation.     The  Mediatorial 
Kingdom  is  still  running  its  course,  and  cannot 
be  terminated  until  the  counter-agency  of  sin,  to 
which  it  has  relation,  is  fully  and  finally  put 
away.     But  when  aU  things  shall  have  been  sub- 


The  Holy  Eucharist         [chap. 


dued  imto  Jesus,  and  the  end  shall  have  fully 
*"'r''i"'"^  come,  then  will  the  Marriage  Supper  of  the  Lamb 

usbcrrt  m  iu  oil 

tiic  marrianc-  — the  solemn  eternal  ratification  of  that  union 

Btipprr  of  tf)e  /^     i 

tamb.  between  God  and  man,  which  was  commenced  by 
the  Incarnation,  and  carried  on  at  Pentecost — be 
celebrated.  Then  will  come  the  passing  in  review 
of  the  many  guests,  whom  the  preached  Gospel 
has  gathered  from  all  quarters  of  the  earth,  and 
the  thrusting  out  of  all  who  have  not  on  the 
wedding-garment, — a  spirit  of  holy  joy  and  thank- 
fulness, a  festive  spirit  suitable  to  the  great  occa- 
sion. In  that  Supper,  wliicli  the  Lord  shall  make 
for  His  people,  and  wherein  they  shall  sit  down 
and  eat  and  drink  at  His  table  in  His  kingdom, 
our  Communion  Feasts,  which  liave  been  rehearsals 
of  and  preparations  for  it,  sliall  merge ;  they  shall 
there  find  their  antitypical  fulfilment  and  higliest 
realization ;  for  this  great  Supper  is  our  point  of 
hope,  closing  up  for  us  the  Christian's  vista  of  the 
future.  A  wonderful  coincidence  truly ;  for  we 
cannot  but  recall  that  this  Lamb  of  God,  who  at 
the  end  of  time  will  bid  His  own  to  the  solemnity 
of  a  marriage  supper,  and  give  them  to  drink 
there  of  the  new  wine  of  spiritual  joy,  is  the  same 
who  made  His  first  appearance  at  a  marriage  in 
Cana  of  Galilee,  and  whose  first  exertion  of  mira- 
culous power  supplied  the  guests  with  wine,  when 
the  bridegroom's  store  was  failing. 


(Tliat  ntnr- 
riagc-suppcr 
is  tiic  point 
of  si5l)t,  for 
tobicb  out 
(Communion 
Jrcasts  are 
rclicarsals 
nnti  prepara- 
tions. 


One  word,  in  conclusion,  respecting  the  con- 
trasted character  of  the  two  great  Institutions  of 
the  Church  called  Sacraments.  Baptism  (as  was 
pointed  out  in  a  previous  Chapter)  was  suitably 


VI.]  al  lis  successive  siagcs.  189 

instituted  upon  a  mountain,  round  which  tlie  free 
breezes  of  heaven  swept  and  frolicked.     For  Bai)-  Diffueion  of 

in  /IT  n  1       i\  '■'^^  rcprt- 

tism  IS  the  bacrament  (as  has  been  well  remarked)  scntto  bj? 
of  diffusion,  the  Sacrament  by  the  instrumentality 
of  which  the  Church's  life  is  sent  forth  into  the 
ends  of  the  earth,  "  to  all  the  nations,"  "  to  every 
creature."     But  life  requires  not  only  to  be  sent 
into  the  extremities  of  a  growing  body,  but  to  rally 
its  forces  at  the  heart.    There  must  be  a  cementing 
power,  as  well  as  a  diffusinc;  power,  a  re-collection  concmtrafion 
ot  life  at  its  iocus,  as  well  as  an  expansion  of  it.  iioro's 
And  this  is  what  the  holy  Supper  is  designed  to  *"*'''"• 
do  for  the  Church.     It  was  suitably  instituted  in  a 
guest-chamber,  where  the  little  flock  of  disciples 
was  gathered  together  round  their  Divine  Master, 
sheltered  under  His  wing,  and,  as  it  were,  pressed 
to  His  heart  in  a  last  embrace.     It  is,  as  it  has  well 
been  called,  the  Sacrament  of  perpetual  re-union, —  rijc  noru's 
not  only  a  means  of  communion  with  Christ  for  l"aa?Lut^f 
each  individual  partaker,  but  a  communion  of  all  umon"ttm"" 
the  partakers  (in  and  through  Christ)  wdth  one  toitlf  siis" 
another.    "We  being  many,"  says  the  Apostle,  "are  '"""''"®' 
one  bread  and  one  body :  for  we  are  all  partakers 
of  that  one  bread."     One  loaf  (or  cake)  of  bread  is 
broken  into  fragments,  and  a  fragment  is  received 
by,  and  passes  into  the  frame  of,  each  communi- 
cant, as  an  expressive  symbol  of  our  being  all 
spiritually  one,  through  the  conveyance  and  im- 
partation  to  each  of  Christ's  Body  and  Blood. 
Baptism  needs  for  its  due  performance  (as  in  the  ant  ibmforr. 
case  of  St.  Philip  and  the  Ethiopian)   nothing  foVmti" ' 
more  than  an  administrator  and  a  recipient.     But  fll^SVof 

tmo  or  itjrfc 
m  Cbnst's 


1 90  Catechism.  [chap. 

satisfied  without  the  joint  action  of  two  or  three, 
since  the  re-union  of  Christians  with  one  another 
in  and  through  their  common  Lord  is  an  essential 
feature  of  it,  to  obliterate  which  might  peril  the 
vitality  of  the  Ordinance.     Do  we  enough  con- 
sider it  in  this  light,  as  the  Institution  which  is 
designed  to  make  the  different  members  of  the 
Body  of  Christ  cohere,  designed  to  be  a  centre  of 
unity  to  them,  wherever  it  is  celebrated,  and  to 
draw  them  together  in  closest  bonds  of  spiritual 
anti  siiouit!  be  fellowship  ?     And  do  Ave,  in  partaking  of  it,  cul- 
Bpiriuf  '"  ^  tivate  a  spirit  of  mutual  love,  make  an  effort  to 
mutual  lo  c.  1^^^^  ^^  ^^^  natural  selfishness,  and  intercede  for 
the  Christian  Brotherhood  as  well  as  ourselves  ? 

But  enough  for  the  present.  'Wlien  in  our  next 
Chapter  we  shall  have  exhibited  the  powers  of  the 
Church  in  Council,  our  walk  round  the  walls  of 
Zion  will  be  completed.  May  we  return  from  the 
survey  with  minds  enriched,  and  hearts  edified, 
by  a  deeper  insight  into  "  the  things  pertaining 
unto  the  Kingdom  of  God." 

Cittcrhtsm  on  Chap-.  'HE. 

1.  Question. — For  what  purpose  did  our  Lord  spend 
forty  days  on  earth  between  His  Resurrection  and 
His  Ascension  ? 

Ajiswer. — This  period  of  Forty  Days  had  three  uses, 
— a  use  for  the  world,  a  use  for  His  first  disciples,  and 
a  use  for  the  Church. 

2.  Question. — What  was  the  use  of  this  period  for  the 
unbelieving  world  ? 

Ansioer. — To  furnish  to  them  satisfactory  evidence  of 
Christ's  Resurrection.  Christ  was  not  to  be  seen  after 
His  Resurrection  for  a  single  day  or  a  single  week ; 


VI.]  Catechism.  191 

but  to  appear  to  several  different  persons  (somelimcs 
singly,  sometimes  when  they  were  together),  and  on 
several  different  occasions,  that  there  might  be  no  room 
to  doubt  that  He  was  truly  risen. 

3.  Question. — What  use  had  the  great  Forty  Days  for 
the  first  disciples? 

AnsiL-cr. — During  this  period  they  were  gradually 
weaned  from  the  support  of  Christ's  bodily  presence, 
upon  which  they  had  long  and  fondly  leant.  They  saw 
Ilim  occasionally,  but  only  at  intervals  ;  and  thus  be- 
came inured  to  seeing  Tlim  no  more  in  the  flesh,  and 
disciplined  for  seeing  Him  spiritually  by  faith. 

4.  Question. — What  use  had  this  period  for  the 
Church  ? 

Answer. — It  was  then  apparently  that  our  Lord 
occupied  Himself  in  tracing  the  foundations  of  His 
Church, — in  appointing  its  Ordinances,  its  Ministers, 
and  its  Constitution. 

5.  Question. — How  does  this  appear  from  the  words 
of  St.  Luke  ? 

Answer. — He  tells  us  (Acts  i.  3)  that  at  the  various 
interviews  of  our  Lord  with  His  Apostles  during  the 
Forty  Days,  He  spake  to  them  "  of  the  things  pertain- 
ing to  the  Kingdom  of  God."  Now,  by  the  Kingdom 
of  Grod  is  meant  that  Constitution  which  Christ  set  up  on 
the  Earth,  and  into  which  men  are  called  by  the  Gospel. 
The  same  term,  "  kingdom  of  heaven"  (kingdom  "  set 
up  "  by  "  the  God  of  heaven,"  see  Daniel  ii.  44)  is  used 
of  the  Church  in  St.  ]\Iatthew  xiii.  47  ;  "  The  kingdom 
of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  net,  that  was  cast  into  the  sea 
and  gathered  of  every  kind." 

6.  Question. — How  does  it  appear  also  from  the  re- 
corded interviews  of  our  Lord  with  the  Apostles 
after  the  Eesurrection? 

Anstcer. — In  the  course  of  these  interviews  wo  find 
Ilim  instituting  Missionary  Preaching,  Holy  Baptism, 
Preaching  to  the  Christian  Congregation,  Christian 
Education,    the    Pastoral    Office,    and   the    Christian 


192  Catechism.  [chap. 

Ministry  with  its  powers  of  absolution  and  censure. 
We  may  add  also  that,  by  frequently  appearing  during 
this  period  to  two  or  three  gathered  together  in  His 
Name,  He  fulfilled  His  own  promise  in  St.  Matt,  xviii. 
20,  and  appointed  the  Christian  Congregation  as  the 
trysting-place  at  which  He  and  His  followers  should 
meet.  Also  by  appearing  to  the  Ten  on  the  evening  of 
the  Resurrection  Day,  and  again  to  the  Eleven  eight 
days  afterwards  (which  would  be,  according  to  the 
Jewish  method  of  counting,  on  the  seventh  day  after- 
wards), He  appears  to  have  consecrated  the  seventh  day 
from  His  Resurrection,  which  thenceforth  became  to 
Christians  the  first  day  of  the  week,  and  was  called  the 
Lord's  Day ;  see  Rev.  i.  10.  We  find  from  Acts  xx.  7, 
that,  "  upon  the  first  day  of  the  week,"  it  was  the  habit 
of  the  disciples  to  come  "  together  to  break  bread " 
(that  is,  to  celebrate  the  Holy  Communion) ;  and  in 
1  Cor.  xvi.  2  St.  Paul  bids  his  Corinthian  converts, 
"  Upon  the  first  day  of  the  week  let  every  one  of  you 
lay  by  him  in  store,  as  God  hath  prospered  him,"  the 
Sunday  being  a  fit  day  for  almsgiving  and  "  laying  up 
for"  themselves  "  treasures  in  heaven." 

7.  Catechist. — Sum  up  then  briefly  the  Institutions  of 
which  we  find  the  germs  scattered  by  our  Lord 
during  this  period. 

Answer. — i.  The  Lord's  Day.  2.  Public  "Worship 
in  the  Congregation.  3.  Preaching  to  the  Heathen. 
4.  The  Sacrament  of  Baptism.  5.  Preaching  to  the 
Christian  Congregation.  6.  Christian  Education.  7. 
Ordination.  8.  Absolution  and  Excommunication.  9. 
The  Pastoral  Ofiice.  The  allusions  to  all  of  these 
things  are  brief,  to  some  of  them  faint ;  but  there  is 
not  one  of  them,  of  which  some  manifest  trace  may  not 
be  found  in  the  period  under  consideration. 

8.  Queslion. — Is  it  likely,  then,  that  during  this  period 

we  should  find  no  trace  of  the  Holy  Eucharist, 
which  is  the  highest  and  most  important  of  all  the 
Ordinances  of  the  Church  ? 
Answer. — Very  unlikely;    or  rather  inconceivable. 


VI.]  Catechism.  193 

The  Lord's  Supper  is  an  Ordinance  of  such  import- 
ance, that  our  Lord  made  it,  and  the  origin  of  it, 
and  the  method  of  celebrating  it,  the  subject  of  a 
special  revelation  to  the  Apostle  Paul ;  see  1  Cor. 
xi.  23-20.  This  was  not  necessary  with  the  other 
Apostles,  since  it  had  been  expressly  instituted  in 
their  presence,  and  must  have  been  quite  fresh  in  their 
memories  during  the  great  Forty  Days.  But  we  should 
certainly  expect  that,  during  a  period  which  was  de- 
voted to  laying  the  germs  of  Church  Institutions,  and 
"  speaking  of  the  things  pertaining  to  the  kingdom  of 
God,"  there  should  be  some  distinct  reference  to  this 
Ordinance,  and  to  the  blessings  of  it. 

9.  Question. — Where  do  you  find  such  a  reference  ? 
Answer. — In  St.  Luke's  account  of  the  journey  of  two 
disciples  to  Emmaus  on  the  Hesurrection  Day,  in  the 
course  of  which  our  Lord  joined  them,  "  in  another 
form  "  (see  St.  ]\Iark  xvi.  12),  and  took  a  share  in  their 
conversation,  and  "  expounded  unto  them  in  all  the 
Scriptures  the  things  concerning  him.self,"  and  finally 
"  went  in  to  tarry  with  them."  "  And  it  came  to  pass, 
as  he  sat  at  meat  with  them,  he  took  bread,  and  blessed 
it,  and  brake,  and  gave  to  them.  And  their  eyes  were 
opened,  and  they  knew  him ;  and  he  vanished  out  of 
their  sight  "  (St.  Luke  xxiv.  30,  31). 

10.  Question. — What  leads  you  to  connect  this  narra- 
tive with  the  Holy  Supper? 
Ansioer. — The  fact  that  the  words  used  are  almost 
exactly  the  same  as  those  which  St.  Matthew  and  St. 
Mark  use  in  describing  the  Institution  of  the  Lord's 
Supper : 

St.  Matthew  says  St.  Mark  snys  St.  Luke's  words  here 

(xxvi.  20)—  (xiv.  22)—  are  (xxiv.  30)— 

"  As  they  were  eat-  "  As  they  did  eat,  "As  he  sat  at  meat 

ing,  Jesus  took  bre.id,  Jc.sus    took    bread,  with    them,    he    took 

and    blessed     it,    and  and     blessed,     and  bread,  and  blessed  it, 

brake  t^  and  gave  it  brake  it,  and   gave  and  brake,  and  gave  to 

to  the  disciidcs."  to  them."  them." 

Also  there  is  the  fact,  that  "  the  breaking  of  the  bread" 
was  the  term  applied  to  the  Eucharist  by  the  early 
disciples.     We  find  it  so  called  in  Acts  ii.  42,  where,  if 

N 


1 94  Catechism.  [chap. 

the  definite  articles  used  in  the  original  had  been  pre- 
served by  our  translators,  the  words  would  run  thus  : 
"  And  they  continued  steadfastly  in  the  doctrine  of  the 
Apostles,  and  in  their  fellowship,  and  in  the  breaking 
of  the  bread,  and  in  the  prayers."  It  is  to  be  observed 
also,  that  our  Lord,  in  the  interview  at  Emmaus,  calls 
attention  to  the  h-eaking  of  the  bread,  by  making  that 
action  the  means  of  His  being  recognised  by  them,  so 
that  He  may  be  said  to  put  upon  it  an  especial  stress. 

11.  Question. — What  does  the  fact  of  the  Eucharist's 
having  obtained  a  regular  designation  in  the  earli- 
est infancy  of  the  Church,  show  ? 

Answer. — That  it  was  already  recognised  as  a  great 
Institution  of  the  Church. 

12.  Catechist. — We  may  take  it  for  granted,  then,  that 
the  meal  at  Emmaus  bore  a  designed  reference  to 
the  Holy  Communion, — was,  in  short,  our  Lord's 
recognition  of  that  holy  Sacrament,  of  its  import- 
ance and  of  its  efi'ects,  during  the  Forty  Days 
which  were  spent  by  Him  in  tracing  the  founda- 
tions of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  Under  this  view 
of  the  incident,  what  is  the  first  lesson  respecting 
the  Eucharist  which  we  gather  from  it  ? 

Answer. — That  this  holy  Sacrament,  though  it  grew 
out  of  the  occasion  of  Christ's  parting  with  His  Apostles, 
was  to  rise  above  the  occasion,  and  stand  out  distinct 
from  its  original  surroundings. 

13.  Question. — How  does  this  appear  ? 

Answer. — Partly  from  the  persons  to  whom  Christ 
gave  the  broken  bread  after  the  Resurrection  ;  partly 
from  the  circumstances  under  which  it  was  given  to 
them. 

14.  Question. — How  does  it  appear  from  the  persons 
concerned  ? 

Answer. — Neither  of  them  were  Apostles ;  for  it  is 
said  that  when  they  returned  to  Jerusalem,  they 
'■^  found  the  eleven  gathered  together,  and  them  that  were 
with  them"  (St.  Luke  xxiv.  33).     Clearly  therefore 


VI.]  CatccJiism.  195 

thoy  did  not  themselves  belong  to  "the  eleven."  Thus 
they  wore  not  of  the  number  of  those  who  had  seen  tho 
Holy  Supper  instituted,  and  in  whose  memories  every  as- 
fsociation  of  it  would  be  fresh  and  vivid.  It  was  not  from 
ihem  that  our  Lord  had  parted  in  this  manner  ;  there 
were  no  associations  of  the  last  evening  lie  had  spent 
upon  earth  to  bo  wakened  in  their  minds ;  and  there- 
fore when  lie  performs /or  them  one  of  the  Eucharistio 
actions,  we  conclude  that  He  designed  the  Eucharist  to 
be  an  Ordinance  for  the  Church  generally,  not  specially 
for  those  to  whom  He  first  gave  it,  as  a  dying  token 
of  His  Divine  Love. 

15.  Question. — How  does  the  same  thing  appear  from 
the  circumstances  under  which  our  Lord  gave  them 
the  broken  bread  ? 

Answer. — These  circumstances  were  directly  the  re- 
verse of  those  under  which  the  Ordinance  had  been 
instituted.  Then  He  was  parting  from  His  disciples 
before  His  Death.  Now  He  was  greeting  them  again 
after  His  Resurrection.  .We  infer  that  the  Holy  Supper 
is  designed  to  be  a  return  of  tho  risen  Saviour  to  His 
Disciples  with  an  Easter  salutation  on  His  lips,  as  well 
as  a  token  given  in  remembrance  of  Himself  with  words 
of  valediction. 

16.  Question. — What  prediction  of  our  Lord  seems  to 
have  received  its  inchoate  fulfilment  in  the  Em- 
maus  meal  ? 

Answer. — That  which,  according  to  St.  Luke,  He 
uttered  immediately  before  the  Institution  of  the  Eucha- 
rist. "  And  when  the  hour  was  come,  he  sat  down, 
and  the  twelve  apostles  with  him.  And  he  said  unto 
them,  With  desire  I  have  desired  to  eat  this  passover 
with  you  before  I  suffer  :  for  I  say  unto  you,  I  will  not 
any  more  eat  thereof,  until  it  be  fulfilled  in  the  king- 
dom of  God.  And  he  took  the  cup,  and  gave  thanks, 
and  said,  Take  this,  and  divide  it  among  yourselves : 
for  I  say  unto  you,  I  will  not  drink  of  the  fruit  of  the 
vine,  until  the  kingdom  of  God  shall  come  "  (St.  Luke 
xxii,  U-19). 


1 96  Catechism.  [chap. 

17.  Question. — Wtat  other  words  of  a  similar  purport 
did  our  Lord  use  (according  to  the  same  Evan- 
gelist) fl/ter  the  Institution  of  the  Eucharist  ? 

Answer. — "  Ye  are  they  which  have  continued  with 
me  in  my  temptations.  And  I  appoint  unto  you  a  king- 
dom, as  my  Father  hath  appointed  unto  me ;  that  ye 
may  eat  and  drink  at  my  table  in  my  kingdom,  and  sit 
on  thrones  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel"  (St. 
Luke  xxii.  28-81). 

18.  Catechist. — Yes;  the  sentiment  in  this  last  passage 
is  of  the  same  general  character  with  that  in  the 
former.  What  difference  is  observable  between 
the  two  ? 

A7iswer. — That  in  the  former  passage  the  Saviour 
seems  to  speak  of  His  eating  and  drinking  ivith  the 
disciples  (compare  St.  Matt.  xxvi.  29,  "  But  I  say  unto 
you,  I  will  not  drink  henceforth  of  this  fruit  of  the  vine, 
until  that  day  when  I  drink  it  new  with  you  in  my 
Father's  kingdom  "),  in  the  latter,  of  their  eating  and 
drinking  with  Him;  "that  ye  may  eat  and  drink  at 
my  table  in  my  kingdom"  (St.  Luke  xxii.  30). 

19.  Question. — What  do  you  infer  from  this  difference 
in  words  of  the  same  general  character  ? 

Answer. — That  the  earlier  fulfilments  of  the  gracious 
promise  contained  in  both  passages  alike  would  be 
rather,  that  the  Lord  should  attend  the  entertainment 
made  for  Him  hy  the  discijjles  ;  whereas  its  latest  fulfil- 
ment would  be,  that  they  should  be  guests  of  His,  at  a 
festival  made  for  them  by  Him. 

20.  Catechist. — You  said  that  the  earliest  fulfilment  of 
these  words  was  to  be  found  in  the  Emmaus  meal. 
But  the  words  are — "  I  will  not  any  more  eat 
thereof,  until  it  be  fulfilled  in  the  kingdom  ofOod  " 
(St.  Luke  xxii.  16) ;  "  I  will  not  drink  of  the  fruit 
of  the  vine,  until  the  kingdom  of  God  shall  come  " 
(ver.  18).  In  what  sense  had  "  the  kingdom  of  God 
come,"  in  what  sense  "was  it  fulfilled  in  the  king- 
dom of  God,"  when  our  Lord  had  risen  from  the 
dead? 


VI.]  Catechism.  197 

Amiver. — Christ's  life  of  spotless  obedience,  and  His 
death,  by  which  lie  made  upon  the  cross  "  a  full,  per- 
fect, and  sufficient  sacrifice,  oblation,  and  satisfaction 
for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world,"  were  now  accomplished  ; 
in  token  of  which  lie  exclaimed  with  His  latest 
breath,  "  It  is  finished."  And,  more  than  this,  God 
had  indicated  His  acceptance  of  all  that  Christ  had 
done  and  suffered  for  man  by  raising  up  Christ  from  the 
dead.  Thus  far  it  was  already  "  fulfilled  in  the  king- 
dom of  God  ;  "  although  a  greater  and  more  glorious 
fulfilment  had  still  to  be  brought  about. 

21.  Question. — "What  was  this  more  complete  fulfilment 
to  which  you  refer  ? 

Answer. — The  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  at  Pente- 
cost, whose  first  fruits  are,  "  Love,  joy,  peace  "  (see  Gal. 
V.  22).  "We  are  told  that  "  the  kingdom  of  God  is  right- 
eousness, and  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost "  (Rom. 
xiv.  17).  "When,  therefore,  the  Holy  Spirit  of  peace 
and  joy  had  descended,  there  was  a  more  complete  ful- 
filment in  the  Kingdom  of  God  than  hitherto — the  King- 
dom had  more  fully  come. 

22.  Question. — "Will  you  then  briefly  show  how  the 
Holy  Eucharist  was  raised  to  a  higher  character, 
and  stood  on  a  higher  level,  after  than  before  the 
Resurrection,  and  again  after  than  before  the  day 
of  Pentecost  ? 

Answer. — Before  the  Resurrection,  the  Eucharist 
was  merely  a  memorial  of  Christ's  dying  love.  After 
the  Resurrection,  it  became  also  a  greeting  of  the  risen 
Saviour  to  His  disciples,  and  a  Sacrament  of  His  re- 
union with  them.  After  the  day  of  Pentecost,  it  gained 
yet  a  new  character  without  losing  the  old — it  became 
the  great  channel  by  which  the  Saviour's  risen  Life 
flowed  into  and  animated  His  members. 

23.  Catechist. — Yes ;  these  are  three  distinct  views  of 
the  Eucharist.  Yet  what  common  element  is 
there  in  all  these  views? 

Answer. — That   of  Christ  Himself  presiding  at  the 


igS  Catechism.  [chap. 

Communion  Feast :  first,  in  His  natural  body  ;  secondly, 
in  His  risen  body  ;  thirdly,  in  His  glorified  body,  or, 
in  other  words,  in  the  fulness  of  His  llesurrection 
Life. 

24.  Question. — Why  is  it  important  to  maintain  firmly 
this  idea  of  Christ  being  Himself  not  only  the 
Food  received,  but  also  the  Master  of  the  Banquet 
(just  as  in  His  Sacrifice  He  is  both  Priest  and 
Victim)  ? 

Answer. — Because  the  maintenance  of  this  idea  would 
be  a  safeguard  against  erroneous  and  carnal  notions  of 
the  Ordinance.  If  Christ  is  not  only  the  Heavenly 
Viand,  but  also  the  Distributor  thereof,  the  Viand  can- 
not be  in  a  carnal  sense  His  Body  and  Blood.  Christ 
certainly  did  not  give  to  His  disciples,  at  the  first  Insti- 
tution, the  flesh  of  His  hand,  or  the  blood  which  circu- 
lated through  it.  And  so,  in  His  reminder  of  the  Eu- 
charistic  action  at  Emmaus,  He  was  again  the  giver 
of  the  food  given. 

25.  Question. — Though  the  Kingdom  of  God  came 
more  fully  at  Pentecost  than  it  had  hitherto  done, 
has  it  yet  been  altogether  fulfilled  in  the  Kingdom 
of  God? 

Ansiver. — No ;  this  will  not  take  place  until  the 
time  of  the  end,  when  all  things,  death  not  excepted, 
shall  be  "  put  under  "  Jesus.  This  period  is  predicted 
by  the  Apostle  Paul  in  1  Cor.  xv.  23-29  :  "  But  every 
man  in  his  own  order :  Christ  the  first-fruits ;  after- 
ward they  that  are  Christ's,  at  his  coming.  Then 
Cometh  the  end,  when  he  shall  have  delivered  up  the 
kingdom  to  God,  even  the  Father;  when  he  vshall 
have  put  down  all  rule,  and  all  authority  and  power. 
For  he  must  reign,  till  he  hath  put  all  enemies  under 
his  feet.  The  last  enemy  that  shall  be  destroyed  is 
death.  For  he  hath  put  all  things  under  his  feet. 
But  when  he  saith  All  things  are  put  under  him,  it  ia 
manifest  that  he  is  excepted  which  did  put  all  things 
under  him.  And  when  all  things  shall  be  subdued 
unto  him,  then  shall  the  Son  also  himself  be  subject 


VI.]  Catechisju.  199 

unto  him  that  put  all  things  under  him,  that  God  may 
be  all  in  all." 

26.  Question. — What  will  be  the  eternal  Eucharist, 
which  the  Lord  shall  spread  for  His  people, 
and  which  shall  finally  supersede  the  Eucharists, 
at  which  lit  has  condescended  to  be  their  guest? 

Answer. — The  Marriage  Supper  of  the  Lamb. 

27.  Question. — What  foreshadcwing  and  augury  of 
this  final  Marriage  Supper  do  we  find  in  our 
Lord's  earthly  career? 

Answer. — We  read  that  He  made  His  first  public 
appearance  at  a  marriage  in  Cana  of  Galilee,  where  He 
exerted  His  miraculous  power  to  furnish  the  guests 
with  a  large  store  of  wine.     See  St.  John  ii.  1-12. 

28.  Question. — What  prophecy  of  the  final  Marriage 
Supper  do  we  find  in  our  Lord's  teaching  ? 

Anstver. — The  Parable  of  the  king  who  made  a 
marriage  for  his  son,  and,  after  rejecting  those  whom 
he  had  first  invited,  gathered  together  a  great  multi- 
tude out  of  the  highways,  "both  bad  and  good,"  and 
among  them  "  a  man  which  had  not  on  a  wedding  gar- 
ment." This  man,  having  no  excuse  to  oifer  for  appear- 
ing in  ordinary  attire,  was  by  the  king's  order  bound 
hand  and  foot,  and  taken  away,  and  cast  into  outer 
darkness;  see  St.  Matt.  xxii.  1-15. 

29.  Catechist. — Exhibit  briefly  the  meaning  of  this 
Parable. 

Answer. — God,  by  His  servants  the  prophets,  bade 
the  Jews  to  the  "  feast  of  fat  things,"  which  he  had 
prepared  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ, — to  the  solemnization 
of  His  Son's  marriage  with  our  nature  by  the  Incarna- 
tion, and  with  the  individual  partakers  of  our  nature 
by  His  spiritual  union  to  His  Church.  The  Jews 
slighting  this  feast  and  neglecting  to  come,  while  some 
of  them  persecuted  and  slew  God's  messengers  who 
invited  them  to  it,  the  invitation  was  sent  to  the  Gen- 
tiles, who  accepted  it  in  numbers.     The  altars  of  the 


200  Catechism.  [chap. 

Church,  at  which  the  Lord  had  ordained  a  rehearsal  and 
foretaste  to  be  made  of  the  great  Marriage  Supper, 
which  should  be  at  the  end  of  time,  were  "furnished 
with  guests,"  "  bad  and  good,"  faithful  and  unbelieving, 
sincere  and  hypocritical.  But  these  guests  shall  not 
all  be  admitted  to  the  eternal  Marriage  Supper.  There 
shall  be  a  sifting  of  the  guests  (as  there  ought  to  be  a 
sifting  of  the  conscience  previously  to  the  Eucharistic 
Supper),  and  a  rejection  of  those  who  have  not  on  the 
wedding  garment, — who  are  not  clothed  with  a  spirit 
of  holy  joy,  in  harmony  with  the  great  Festival. 

30.  Question. — What  prophetic  vision  of  the  eternal 
Marriage  Supper  is  found  in  the  Scriptures  of  the 
New  Testament? 

Ansiver. — The  following,  which  was  vouchsafed  to 
St.  John  the  Divine  :  "  And  I  heard  as  it  were  the 
voice  of  a  great  multitude,  and  as  the  voice  of  many 
waters,  and  as  the  voice  of  mighty  thunderings,  saying, 
Alleluia  :  for  the  Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth.  Let 
us  be  glad  and  rejoice,  and  give  honour  to  him :  for 
the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  is  come,  and  his  wife  hath 
made  herself  ready.  And  to  her  was  granted  that  she 
should  be  arrayed  in  fine  linen,  clean  and  white :  for 
the  fine  linen  is  the  righteousness  of  saints.  And  he 
saith  unto  me.  Write,  Blessed  are  they  which  are  called 
unto  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb.  And  he  saith 
unto  me.  These  are  the  true  sayings  of  God "  (Rev. 
xix.  6-10). 

31.  Question. — What  contrast  may  be  observed  between 

the  character  of  the  two  Sacraments  ? 
Anstoer. — A  similar  contrast  to  that  which  may  be 
observed  in  the  places  where  they  were  respectively 
instituted.  Baptism  was  instituted  on  a  mountain, 
round  which  the  free  breezes  of  heaven  careered.  The 
Holy  Supper  was  instituted  in  the  chamber  of  a  dwell- 
ing-house, and  was  celebrated  by  the  early  Christians 
(before  they  had  churches)  "  from  house  to  house ; " 
see  Acts  ii.  46,  "  breaking  bread  from  house  to  house." 
The  first  is  a  Sacrament  of  difi"usion ;  "Go  ye  there- 


VI.]  Catechism.  201 

fore,  and  Icacli  oil  iiatio7}s,  baptizing  tliem ; "  "  Go  ye 
into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every 
creature"  (St.  Matt,  xxviii.  19;  St.  Mark  xvi.  15j. 
The  second  is  a  Sacrament  of  re-union;  "Say  ye  to 
the  goodman  of  the  house,  The  Master  saith,  Where  is 
the  guest  chamber,  where  I  shall  eat  the  passover  with  my 
disciples?"  (St.  Mark  xiv.  14.) 

32.  Question. — What  practical  lesson  respecting  the 
Supper  of  the  Lord  do  we  learn  from  hence  ? 

Anstver. — That  it  is  designed  to  be  a  bond  of 
spiritual  fellowship  between  Christians,  as  well  as 
between  the  Lord  and  the  individual  soul ;  or  rather  of 
fellowship  between  individual  souls  in  and  through  the 
one  Lord  and  Saviour. 

33.  Question. — In  what  words  does  St.  Paul  teach  this 
lesson  ? 

Answer. — "  We  being  many  are  one  bread  "  (one 
cake),  "  and  one  body  :  for  we  are  all  partakers  of  that 
one  bread  "  (1  Cor.  x.  17);  that  is  to  say,  a  fragment 
of  one  cake  or  loaf  passes  into  the  living  frame  of  each 
communicant,  and  is  assimilated  thereby  :  even  so  the 
Saviour's  flesh  and  blood,  received  in  the  Ordinance 
by  faith,  pass  into  the  immortal  spirit  of  each  com- 
municant, and  assimilate  all  to  Christ,  and  blend  all 
together  in  the  unity  of  the  Spirit. 

34.  Question. — What  spirit,  then,  should  be  cultivated 
in  receiving  the  Lord's  Supper,  if  we  wish  to  give 
full  effect  to  the  significance  of  the  Ordinance  ? 

Answer. — A  spirit  of  mutual  love,  such  as  shows 
itself  by  Christian  sympathy,  intercessory  prayer,  and 
efforts  to  help  one  another. 

35.  Question. — How  does  the  Communion  OflSce  of  the 
Church  of  England  recognise  the  doctrine  that  the 
re-union  of  Christians  with  one  another  is  an 
essential  feature  of  the  Holy  Communion  ? 

Answer. — By  the  second  and  third  Rubrics  at  the 
close  of  the  Office  : — 

''IT  And  there  shall  he   no  celelration  of  the  Lord's 


202  Catechism.  [chap.  vi. 

Supper^  except  there  he  a  convenient  number  to  com- 
municate  witli  the  Priest^  according  to  his  discretion. 

"  U  And  if  there  be  not  above  twenty  persons  in  the 
Parish  of  discretion  to  receive  the  Communion ;  yet 
there  shall  he  no  Communion^  except  four  (or  three  at 
the  least)  communicate  with  the  Priest." 

And  even  in  the  Communion  of  the  Sick,  there  must 
be  two  communicants  at  the  least,  besides  the  sick  per- 
son and  the  Priest.  (See  the  Kubric  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  OflBce.) 


CHAPTER  VII. 

ON  THE  POWERS  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  COUNCIL. 

"  Et  scrmcb  goob  to  the  3=)o'H  Ghost,  uub  to  us." 
Acts  xv.  28. 

TTTE  have  seen  more  thau  once,  in  the  course 
'  '      of  this  work,  tliat  the  great  Forty  Days 
which  intervened  between  the  Eesurrection  and 
the  Ascension  of  Christ,  were  the  seminal  period 
of  the  Church's  history,  during  which  our  Lord 
occupied    Himself   in    tracing    her    foundations. 
We  now  come  down  to  a  later  period  of  New  ^  j^^^     -^^ 
Testament  history,  and  pass  from  the  Gospels  to  ^^jfja^^nt 
the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  there  to  observe  the  \if^°^li 
actual   exercise   of  the   powers,   and  the   actual  f^^"  "xts^^t 
assertion  of  the  prerogatives,  which  Christ  had  •I'japtft. 
given  to  His  little  Hock. 

The  decree  of  the  first  Christian  Council  ever 
held  runs  in  this  solemn  formula ;  "  It  seemed 
good  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  to  us."    But  who  are 
the  persons  who  dare  to  couple  their  placet  with 
the  placet  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  to  atfirm  tlieir  rfifauthorfts 
own  sentence  as  the  sentence  of  the  Divine  Spirit  ?  {hTSlaaof 
We  turn  to  the  preamble  of  the  decree  to  find  chnXn 
who  they  were :  "  The  apostles  and   elders   and  ''^°"""'- 
brethren," — in  other  words,  the  bishops,  clergy, 


204 


On  the  Poiucrs  of 


[chap. 


JTfif  natural 
means  fag 
tolnch  the 
roiulusion 
tiaa  fa  cm 
arnfacli  at. 


3ri)c  tfcrce 
founOfU  on 
ptincipica 
prtfaiouslg 
aSmittrt." 


and  laity  of  the  tlien  Christian  Church  in  council 
assembled, — "  send  greeting  unto  the  brethren 
which  are  of  the  Gentiles  in  Antioch  and  Syria 
and  Cilicia." 

How  had  tliese  men  arrived  at  the  conclusion, 
for  which  they  venture  (apparently  without  hesi- 
tation) to  claim  so  awful  a  sanction  ?  They  had 
arrived  at  it  by  mutual  conference,  upon  which 
no  doubt  God's  blessing  and  guidance  had  been 
previously  asked,  though  that  circumstance  is  not 
mentioned  in  the  narrative.  "  There  had  been 
much  disputing  "  (verse  7) ;  that  is,  a  general  dis- 
cussion in  the  first  instance ;  after  which  the 
assembly  had  listened  to  speeches  from  the  great 
leaders  of  the  Christian  movement,  St.  Peter,  St. 
Paul,  and  St.  Barnabas.  St.  James,  who  probably 
presided  over  the  assembly  as  bishop  of  the  diocese 
in  which  it  was  held,  summed  up  the  argument, 
and  proposed  a  sentence  or  decree  as  the  result  of 
that  summary.  This  decree  meeting  the  approba- 
tion of  the  assembly,  it  was  determined  to  forward 
it  by  letter  to  the  parties,  for  whose  guidance  it 
was  drawn  up. 

But  was  the  decree  merely  arbitrary,  or  was  it 
founded  on  principles,  the  truth  of  which  was 
previously  admitted?  Most  clearly  the  latter. 
In  St.  Peter's  speech  he  recites  what  God  had 
done,  and  had  directed  him  to  do,  in  reference  to 
the  admission  of  Cornelius,  and  lays  down  that 
dealing  of  God's  as  the  ground  of  proceedings  in 
the  present  instance.  Observe  this  narrowly.  He 
does  not  say  "  I,  Cephas,  a  pillar  of  the  Church, 
— nay    the    rock-man    {Jlkxpoi)    on   which    the 


VII.]  the  Church  in  Council.  205 

Church  is  built, — I,  in  the  exercise  of  my  iiide-  st.  lartft 
pendent  judgment,  prompted  and  guided  by  the  nrsumcnt  on 
Holy  Ghost,  whose  illapse  I  experienced  at  Peute-  prrbious 
cost,  declare  it  to  be  the  will  of  God  that  these  iiimarifanij 
Gentile  Christians  shall  not  have  the  heavy  bur- cc ntiUg ; 
den  of  the  Ceremonial  Law  laid  upon  them."    His 
jirofessing  successor  might  have  spoken  so;  but 
the  remarkable  point  in  St.  Peter's  judgment  is 
not  its  independence,  but  its  professed  dependence 
upon  what  God  had  said  and  done  : — "  God  made 
choice  among  us,  that  the  Gentiles  by  my  mouth 
should  hear  the  word  of  the  gospel,  and  believe. 
And  God,  which  knoweth  the  hearts,  bare  them 
witness,  giving  them   the   Holy  Ghost,  even  as 
he  did  unto  us ;  and  put  no  difference  between 
us  and  them,  purifying  their  hearts  by  faith." — 
St.   James   founds   his   opinion   upon   the   same  &t.  samcs  on 
dealing  of  God,  and  in  further  illustration  of  this  D/aimcs,  of 
dealing  quotes  a  passage  from  the  book  of  the  sniSs  a  prc- 
prophet  Amos,  predicting  apparently  that  admis-  biok  "f  % 
sion  of  the  Gentiles  to  full  religious  privileges,  Imos!' 
which  had  been  inaugurated  by  the  baptism  of 
Cornelius,  and  arguing  thence  that  the  minds  of 
the  Gentile  converts  were  not  to  be  needlessly 
disturbed.     So  that  the  question,  though  settled 
by  Apostles,  was  settled  by  a  reference  to  the 
foregone  sayings  and  doings  of  the  Almighty,  of 
which  they  do  not  for  a  moment  claim  indepen- 
dence. 

But  was  not  the  decision,  after  all,  a  result  Of  sandion 
arrived  at  by  the  mere  exercise  of  the  human  Ghost  ° " 
faculties  ?      Had   "  the   apostles  and   elders  and  sraaion  bo 
brethren"  any  right  to  claim  for  it  tlie  sanction  of  °"' ' 


2o6  On  the  Powers  of  [chap. 

the  Holy  Spirit,  as  they  most  distinctly  do  in  the 
text  ?  Most  assuredly  they  had  such  a  right ;  and 
had  they  claimed  anything  less  than  this,  they 
•would  have  failed  to  recognise  their  true  position 
and  prerogative. 

In  the  first  place,  the  Founder  of  the  Church 
had  distinctly  given  them  an  assurance  of  His 
own  presence,  when  they  were  gathered  together 
in  His  name.     It  is  true  that  this  promise  had  been 
made  specifically  in  reference  to  united  prayer  : — 
"  If  two  of  you  shall  agree  upon  earth  as  touch- 
on  ihe  ing  any  thing  that  they  shall  ash"  etc.     But  God's 
fiif  iiort'a     promises  (like  His  commandments)  are  exceeding 
Df  BiScf^  broad ;   and  it  would   refer   also  to  the  united 
of  tVutb.'""    deliberations    of    the    disciples,   before    entering 
upon  which  they  would  doubtless  seek  for  Divine 
guidance,  according  to,  and  on  the   ground   of, 
that  word ; — "  When   he,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is 
come,  he  wiU  guide  you  into  all  truth."     And  we 
faiifdi  spirit  are  to  remember  that,  at  the  time  of  which  we 
are  now  speaking,  the  Spirit  of  truth  had  come. 
Not  only  had  the  framework  of  the  Church  been 
constructed,  it  had  also  been  animated  and  organ- 
ized— fully  pervaded  with  the  Saviour's  risen  Life. 
This  grand  event,  which  took  place  at  Pentecost, 
is  thus  rehearsed  by  the  Apostle  Paul : — "  When 
he  ascended  up  on  high,  he  led  captivity  captive, 
ant)  fiau        and  gave  gifts  unto  men  .  .  .  And  he  gave  some, 
upon  tije       apostles  ;   and  some,  prophets  ;   and  some,  evan- 
tbrmlgi)        gcUsts  ;  and  some,  pastors  and  teachers ;  for  the 
diannds  of    perfecting   of  the   saints,   for  the  work   of  the 
iflinistrs.      i^i^igt^,y^  for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ : 
till  we  all  come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith,  and  of 


tiati  bcrn 
gifarn  at 
5|Pcntfco8t, 


VII.]  tJie  Church  in  Council.  207 

the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God,  unto  a  perfect 
man,  unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  ful- 
ness of  Christ." 

These  then  are  the  grounds  on  whicli  a  decree 
of  the  assembled  Church  claims  for  itself  the  rati- 
fication of  the  Holy  Ghost.     The  decree  was  the 
voice  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  speaking  in  the  body  of 
Christ.     By  this  Spirit  the  Church  was  to  be  con-  jsrins 
tinually  guided ;  and  by  the  governance  of  tliis  t?e  spirit,  as 
Spirit  she  was  to  shape  her  course,  as  difficulties  thtzifort'of 
arose,  and  heresies  and  contradictions  crossed  her  chutcii^ 
path.    The  heresies  and  contradictions  were  to  be  ?5'fcgisiat« ' 
legislated  for,  as  time  brought  them  to  the  birth.  f"su"rfmrr- 
There   was   an    unerring   standard   of  reference,  m'^^ijurfat ; 
whereby  to  adjudicate  upon  them,  in  the  Word  of 
God.    And  there  was  in  the  Church  an  indwelling 
light  and  wisdom,  enabling   her  to  discriminate 
between  good  and  evil,  truth  and  falsehood,  by 
the  application  of  that  criterion.     This  is  the  true 
theory   of  Church   Government.     There  was  no 
pre-ordained  scheme  for  dealing  with  the  emer- 
gencies, wdiich  the  progress  of  Society,  or  the  dis- 
pensations of  Providence  might  throw  up  to  the 
surface.     Our  Lord  legislated  for  no  such  emer- 
gencies.     The   Apostles  legislated   for  no  such 
emergencies.      Our    Lord    did    not    say   to    his 
Apostles;  "You  will  have  the  Judaizers  to  deal  nor  iiiu  our 
with   ere   long,  who   will  propose    to    entangle  Sis  apostu?, 
the  Gentile  converts  in  the  yoke  of  bondage;  I 
give  you  a  hint  beforehand  how  to  handle  that 
controversy,  when  time  brings  it  to  the  birth." 
^Vhy   should   He  give   them   hints   beforehand, 
like  a  departing  friend,  who  after  his  decease  is 


208 


Oil  tJie  Powers  of 


[chap. 


to  live  with  us  only  in  memory  and  in  the  asso- 
ciations of  the  past  ?  He  was  to  live  with  them 
— ay,  and  with  their  successors,  "  even  to  the 
end  of  the  world " — by  the  power  and  presence 
of  His  Spirit  flowing  down  into  and  inundating 
all  the  Church's  Ministry — a  better  presence,  He 
distinctly  tells  them,  and  a  stronger  power  than 
His  presence  and  power  in  the  flesh  had  ever 
been.  What  need  that  He  should  direct  them  in 
all  things  beforehand,  when  He  could  say  to  them 
that  far  more  helpful  word  ;  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you 
alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world ;"  "  Where 
two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  my  name, 
there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them"? — And  as  their 
Master  dealt  with  the  Apostles,  so  the  Apostles 
dealt  with  the  inheritors  of  their  Ministry.  They 
have  warned  us  indeed,  in  general  terms,  of  dan- 
rmcr'rjmdrs.''  gers  which  should  besct  the  faith  and  patience  of 
Christians  in  the  last  days,  and  of  the  awful  reve- 
lation of  a  certain  mysterious  personage  called 
"  the  Man  of  Sin,"  in  order  that,  when  these  con- 
tradictions and  heresies  appeared.  Christians,  re- 
membering them  to  have  been  all  foretold,  might 
be  nothing  staggered  by  them ;  but  as  for  any 
definite  directions  how  to  act  on  the  occurrence 
of  definite  emergencies,  such  as  the  rise  of  the 
Arian,  or  Macedonian,  or  Pelagian  heresy,  the 
Apostles  left  no  such  instructions  behind  them. 
What  need  was  tliere  to  do  so  ?  Their  successors 
in  the  Faith,  as  well  as  themselves,  would  share 
in  the  sacred  gift  of  Pentecost,  which  indeed  was 
nothing  less  than  the  gift  of  the  perpetual  pre- 
sence of  Christ,  through  His  Eepresentative,  the 


nor  His 

S^JDStlcS  to 

tijrir  succts- 
sora,  anjj 
iDclxnitf  tiircC' 
lions  as  to 
ll)t  tnettiol!  of 


VII.]  the  Clnu'ch  in  CounciL  209 

Comforter.     Was  not  that  presence  competent  to 
guide  the  Church  of  the  latter  days,  as  it  had 
guided  themselves,  into  all  truth  ?     More  espe- 
cially as  there  was  an  external  guidance  available 
for  the  Church  in  the  written  Word  of  God.     If  ariic  apostics 
hundreds  of  cases  might  arise  which  the  Apostles  th?cburrV'' 
never  foresaw,  none  could  arise  which  did  not  tonfirifls!'\'n 
admit  of  a  solution  by  reference  to  the  principles  iniu"Soton  \Mt 
laid  down  in  their  writings.     The  New  Testa- ffiSu^rS" 
ment,  like  all  other  parts  of  Scripture,  is  a  seed  ;  muX"^" 
it   contains   within   it   in   germ,   though   by   no  ''"'*'^* 
means  explicitly,  the  decision  of  every  contro- 
versy which   has  ever  vexed   and  harassed  the 
Church. 

But  here  a  difficulty  may  arise  in  the  mind  of  ©bjfriton 
a  reader  who  is  following  the  argument.    We  will  Sffo'-^^'"^ 
give  expression  to  it  in  this  shape  : — "  It  is  an  S[at)onUfg  in 
axiom  of  good  government  that  there  must  be  one  mrnfof  % 
head.     Now,  in  the  government  of  the  Church  of  ''''^""^• 
Christ  you  virtually  say  that  there  are  two  co- 
ordinate  authorities.     One  is,  as  you  have  told 
us,  the  Church  herself,  organized  under  her  rulers, 
deriving  her  Ministries  from  the  Lord  Jesus  Him- 
seK  through  His  Apostles,  and  thus  having  His 
presence  and  power  transmitted  to  the  latest  ages 
of  her  history.     Well  and  good.     But  you  tell  us 
also  of  another  authority,  which  you  imply  must 
check  and  control  the  agency  of  the  Church,  this 
authority  being  the  sacred  volume  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  written  by  inspiration   of  God,  and 
emanating  from   God  Himself     You  have  then 
a  living  corporation,  inhabited  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 
And  you  have  also  a  book,  animated  in  every  part 
0 


2IO  On  the  Powers  of  [chap. 

(for  this  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  inspired)  by 
the  breath  of  that  Spirit  ?  May  there  not  be  a 
danger  of  collision  between  the  two  authorities  ? 
How  if  the  Church  shall  approve  what  the  Scrip- 
ture condemns,  or  censure  in  cases  where  the  Scrip- 
ture does  not  say  '  Anathema/  or  fail  to  condemn, 
where  the  Scripture  is  very  strong  and  explicit 
in  disapproval  ?  Is  there  not  great  hazard  in  this 
divided  allegiance  ?  Would  it  not  be  simpler,  and 
less  confusing  to  plain  people,  to  go  by  the  Church 
exclusively,  as  the  Romanist  professes  to  do,  or 
by  the  Bible  exclusively,  as  the  ultra-Protestant 
professes  to  do  ? " 
CTnmpiKcttH  Simpler,  certainly,  in  the  sense  of  giving  us 
orsanijahons  Only  one  thing  to  attend  to ;  but  the  finest  and 
mj^auK.  ]jjg]-jgg^  organizations  in  Nature  are  not  simple, 
but  complex ;  and  the  higher  they  are,  the  more 
complex  the  structure  becomes.  A  zoophyte  has 
only  one  organ  to  serve  him  for  stomach,  liver, 
and  lungs ;  but  in  the  body  of  a  man,  which 
stands  at  the  head  of  animal  life,  the  stomach,  liver, 
and  lungs  are  distinct,  and  each  member  has  its 
own  function,  upon  which  others  must  not  (and 
in  the  condition  of  health  do  not)  trespass.  Wlio 
shall  wonder,  then,  if  in  the  administration  of  the 
Christian  Society  there  are  two  authorities  which 
have  distinct  and  independent  functions, — the 
living  corporation  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  organ- 
ized under  its  Ministers,  and  the  inspired  Word  of 
God,  quickened  in  every  part  by  the  breath  of  His 
Spirit  ?  I  say  that  the  functions  of  these  tM^o 
authorities  are  independent ;  and  the  idea  ought 
to  present  no  difficulty  to  those  acquainted,  as 


VII.]  the  CJnirch  in  Cowicil.  211 

Englishmen  are,  with  constitutional  checks.  The  jrf,c  erjjurcb'o 
Church's  power,  as  defined  by  our  twentieth  Js;«<!;-'%s„ 
Article,  is  in  part  legislative,  and  in  part  only  ^" "  "*"'^*' 
judicial.  "The  Church  hath  power  to  decree 
liites  or  Ceremonies," — that  is,  new  ones,  if  she 
judge  it  to  be  expedient.  This  is  her  legislative 
power.  The  earliest  exercise  of  this  power,  or  per-  jn  ti,(  tjccre.- 
haps  I  should  say  the  principle  of  it,  may  be  traced  of  jimisakro 
in  the  Chapter  on  which  we  are  founding  our  cJjci^  o["it. 
remarks.  The  matter  laid  before  "  the  apostles 
and  elders  and  brethren"  was  a  ceremonial  one, 
inasmuch  as  it  had  reference  to  the  Jewish  cere- 
monial law.  The  question  was,  whether  the  Gen- 
tile converts  were  bound  to  the  observance  of  the 
ceremonial  law.  And  after  much  discussion  and 
deliberation  it  was  determined  that  they  were 
under  no  such  obligation,  and  that  the  only  re- 
strictions which  they  need  observe  were  such  as 
were  necessary  in  order  to  break  off  all  connexion 
with  the  worship  of  idols  ;  "  that  ye  abstain  from 
meats  offered  to  idols,  and  from  blood,  and  from 
things  strangled,  and  from  fornication"  (a  moral 
offence  being  here  classed  with  ceremonial  ones, 
not  as  if  the  two  things  were  put  on  a  level,  but 
because  one  and  all  were  abominations  sanctioned 
and  patronized  by  heathen  worship).  A  decree 
to  this  effect  was  issued  by  the  Council,  and  cir- 
culated by  St.  Paul  and  his  colleague  in  their 
missionary  tour.  And  three  most  beneficial  effects 
of  the  decree  are  mentioned, — "  consolation " 
(flowing  from  the  relief  experienced  by  harassed 
consciences,  when  a  moot  point  was  set  at  rest), 
establishment  of  the  churches  in  the  faith,  and 


212  On  the  Powers  of  [chap. 

crjje  moumi   their  numerical  increase.     Nor  can  it  be  doubted 
ncTcLc  tbe^'''  that  the  Church,  in  its  several  branches,  has  at 
fn  maftra"    present  a  power  of  legislating  in  matters  merely 
tcrfmon^at,     ritual.     Our  branch  of  the  Church  exercised  such 
power,  when  she  determined  to  retain  the  sign  of 
the  Cross  in  Baptism,  a  ceremony  most  impressive 
and  edifying,  though  by  no  means  part  of  the 
Sacrament,  nor  at  all  affecting  its  validity.     And 
she  might  move  further  in  the  same  direction,  as 
far  as  her  spiritual  constitution  and  prerogatives 
are   concerned.      She   might   add,   for   example, 
new  Offices   to   the   Book  of  Common   Prayer, 
as  an  Office  of  Thanksgiving  on  occasion  of  the 
Harvest,  or  an   Office    at    the    Induction   of  a 
new  Minister,  or  an    Office   to  be  used  over  a 
thougijc&m    Criminal  lying  under  Sentence  of  Death.     But 
rtecfe"rom"  cvcu  here  the  Church's  power  is  guarded  by  a 
hjrittm.   °'^  Constitutional  check.     "Yet  it  is   not  lawful," 
proceeds  the  Article,  "for  the  Church  to  ordain 
anything  that  is  contrary  to  God's  Word  writ- 
ten."    If,  for   example,  into  an   Office  of  Har- 
vest Thanksgiving  it  were  proposed  to  insert  some 
words  of  adoration  to  the  holy  Angels,  as  being 
very  possibly  the  ministers  of  natural  blessings  to 
mankind,  this  would  be  a  flagrant  stretch  of  the 
Church's  prerogative,  since  St.  Paul  condemns  the 
worshipping  of  angels,  and,  when  St.  John  fell 
down  to  worship  before  the  feet  of  an  angel,  the 
SiSpoS/r  being  to  whom  the  homage  was  offered  replied : 
hlcTOtro-""'  "  See  thou  do  it  not :  for  I  am  thy  fellow-servant." 
tScHo     — The  second  part  of  the  Church's  function  is  judi- 
K°fahaHi)c  cial  only.     She  "  hath  authority  in  Controversies 
u-ucfioctnnc  ^^  Faith,"— not  authority  to  make,  a  single  Article 


VII.]  the  CIuLvch  in  Council.  213 

of  Faith,  but  authority  in  a  doctrinal  controversy 
to  pronounce  what  is  the  true  doctrine,  ruling  her 
decisions  by  a  reference  to  the  Holy  Scripture, 
and  to  the  interpretation  put  upon  it  by  the 
Church,  when  as  yet  Christendom  was  undivided. 
You  may  see  the  germ  of  this  power  also  in  the 
record  of  the  Council  in  the  Acts.  For  the  deci- 
sion that  compliance  with  the  ceremonial  law  was 
not  necessary  to  salvation  was,  in  a  certain  point 
of  view,  a  doctrinal  judgment;  and  we  cannot  help 
observing  the  great  anxiety  of  the  Apostles  to 
frame  their  decision  upon  God's  previous  sayings 
f\nd  doings, — upon  His  works  and  Word, — part 
of  which  every  speaker  at  the  meeting  sets  him- 
self to  interpret.  They  speak  as  those  who  can 
make  no  ruling  out  of  their  own  minds,  and  are 
simply  bent  upon  expounding  and  applying  the 
mind  of  God.  Let  it  therefore  be  clearly  under- 
stood that  the  Articles  of  Faith  are  to  be  sought 
onhj  in  Holy  Scripture.  As  in  this  country  the 
Imperial  Parliament  is  the  alone  source  of  Law,  so 
the  alone  source  of  Christian  doctrine  is  the  volume 
of  Holy  Scripture.  But  as,  when  laws  have  been 
made  by  Parliaments,  judges  are  found  necessary,  fust  ns  a 
not  to  make  new  ones,  but  to  expound,  declare,  ^^a^l-^\rca 
and  administer  the  old,  so  in  matters  of  Christian  ?i|ougff}ic 
doctrine,  while  the  Bible  is  the  sole  statute-book,  mabf"?Jt 
the  Church  is  the  sole  judge.  And  there  can  be  ^^^* 
no  question  that,  in  order  to  a  healthy  and  vigor- 
ous administration  of  that  great  body  politic,  the 
Church,  there  must  be  a  judge,  and  a  judge  in  con- 
tinual action,  as  well  as  a  statute-book.  It  is  not 
enough  to  have  good  laws ;  they  must  be  applied. 


2  14  O^^  ^^^^  Powers  of  [chap. 

and  administered,  and  justice  done  in  pursuance  of 
them,  unless  the  country  is  to  go  to  rack  and  ruin. 
cr})c  (Efiurci)  Our  twentieth  Article,  which  we  have  been 
^mnli"  thus  far  following,  says  nothing  respecting  one 
jlcSrSfijicf)  department  of  the  Church's  powers,  which  yet 
inad."!!!."  is  brought  out  with  sufficient  distinctness  in  the 
in  a"ta  faf^  Acts  of  the  Apostles, — tlu  authority  to  organize. 
And  at  a  time  when  new  organizations  are  so 
much  wanted  to  meet  the  new  needs,  which 
emerge  with  the  progress  of  Society,  when  the 
Church  system  has  been  forced  to  give  itself  a 
great  measure  of  elasticity  (lest  by  its  too  great 
stiffness  it  should  split),  and  to  find  room  for 
Sisterhoods,  Deaconesses,  and  Lay- Readers,  it  is 
quite  necessary  that  the  great  Scriptural  autho- 
rity for  such  movements, — the  authority  which  is 
required,  and  which  (we  think)  is  sufficient,  to 
sanction  them,  should  be  held  before  our  eyes. 
The  Apostles  then,  not  long  after  the  Ascension, 
took  a  most  important  step  in  organizing  the 
community  over  which  they  were  called  upon  to 
preside,  for  which  (as  far  as  we  are  told)  they  had 
no  direct  instructions  from  Christ.  They  created  a 
subordinate  order  of  Ministers,  to  whose  shoulders 
they  transferred  the  responsibility  and  burden  of 
administering  Church  charities,  reserving  to  them- 
selves the  more  spiritual  functions  of  the  Min- 
istry. "  Christ  may  have  said  nothing  about  this 
new  order  of  Ministers "  (says  Canon  Korris,  a 
learned  and  devout  writer  of  our  own  day,  whom 
it  is  a  pleasure  to  quote) ;  "  but  Christ  had  said 
plainly  that  His  Church  was  to  go  on  growing 
and  expanding  like  the  branches  of  the  mustard- 


VII.]  the  Church  ill  Co7incil.  215 

tree,  ever  assimilating  uew  elements  ;  and  that  for  cfjr  ncfa 
these  new  elements  the  old  forms  might  not  suffice ;  tofaln fon" 
uew  wine  must  not  be  put  into  old  bottles.  pmnpirs''^ 

fail]  Domn  bo 
'  The  old  order  cbangeth,  yielding  place  to  new,  h3itl)^tuiiat" 

And  God  fulfils  Himself  in  many  ways,  t)ali  been  tiont 

Lest  one  good  custom  should  corrupt  the  world.'  Ccstamcnt 


Cljurdj. 


This  shows  us  how  the  Apostles,  in  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  seven  subordinate  Ministers,  may 
have  had  in  view,  if  not  the  literal  instructions  of 
Christ,  yet  at  all  events  the  great  principles  laid 
down  by  their  Master ;  and  I  cannot  help  think- 
ing that  as  Jews,  whose  minds  were  thoroughly 
imbued  with,  and  thrown  into  the  mould  of,  the 
Old  Testament,  they  had  their  eyes  also  upon  the 
way  in  which  Moses  was  twice  relieved  of  an  ex- 
cessive burden  of  work  and  responsibility,  first,  at 
the  advice  of  Jethro,  by  the  appointment  of  sub- 
ordinate magistrates  to  hear  the  lesser  cases,  and 
secondly,  by  the  qualification  of  the  seventy  elders 
to  bear  the  burden  of  the  people  with  him.  But, 
however  this  may  be,  it  is  very  important  to  re- 
mark that  this  step  in  Church  Organization  was 
not  taken  without  consulting,  and  procuring  the 
entire  concurrence  of,  the  assembled  Church. 
"  Then  the  twelve,"  we  read,  "  called  the  multitude 
of  the  disciples  unto  them,"  and  explained  the  need 
of  a  division  of  labour  in  order  to  efficiency  of 
administration.  "  And  the  saying  pleased  the 
ivhole  multitude."  The  new  legislation  was  the 
act  of  the  whole  Church,  to  which  collectively  the 
promise  of  the  Spirit  had  been  made. — We  hold 
that  the  points  of  this  narrative,  which  we  here 


2 1 6  On  the  Powers  of  [chap. 

i3oinf3  of  tij£  exhibit  summarily,  are  extremely  important  to  be 

toVcJi  sijouiti  borne  in  mind  in  any  movement  made  for  fresh 

mint)  in  pro-  Cliurch  Organizations ;   and  we  commend  them 

oignnhationB  to  the  reader's  notice  and  consideration.     First, 

ijdp.  Growing  Church  work   demands  new  forms  of 

Church  help.     Secondly,  Relief  is  given  to  the 

overtasked,  on  the  principle  of  division  of  labour. 

Tliirdly,   The   arrangement   made   has    manifest 

reference  to  the  principles  inculcated  by  Christ, 

and   to    Church    administration  under   the   Old 

Economy.      Fourthly,   The    concurrence    of    the 

Church  is  sought  and  obtained,  before  any  step  is 

taken.     Fifthly,  The   rulers  of  the   Church  are 

called  upon  to  give  their  authoritative  sanction 

and  blessins  to  the  new  Orrranization, 


But  it  may  be  asked, — it  is  daily  being  asked,  by 
some  invidiously,  by  others  with  a  sincere  desire 
for  a  satisfactory  answer, — "  If  the  above  be  the 
true  theory  of  Church  Government,  where  is  your 
judge  of  heresy,  where  is  your  power  to  decree  rites 
and  ceremonies,  or  even  your  authority  for  new 
organizations,  in  the  Church  of  England  ? "  If  the 
Church  has  indeed  authority  (I  borrow  the  lan- 
guage of  the  latest  and  best  commentator  on  the 
Thirty-nine  Articles)  not  to  make  truth,  but  "  to 
declare  truth,  to  maintain  truth,  to  discern  truth 
from  error,  to  judge,  when  controversies  arise, 
whether  one  party  is  heretical  or  not,  and  to  re- 
ject from  communion  such  as  are  in  grievous 
falsehood  or  error," — where  is  the  body  in  our 
own  Communion  which  has  any  such  power  as 
this,  or  which  even  claims  such  power  ? 


VII.]  the  Chw'ch  in  Council.  217 

Alas!    it  must    be    confessed    that  while  the  2:t^fIf(IlsIa- 
Church  still  lives  among  us  (and  witli  a  vigorous  ju&iciai 
life)  in  her  ^linistries,  her  legislative  and  judicial  cburcij  arc, 
functions  are,  for  the  present,  in  abeyance.     We  communmn, 
sorely  need  greater  elasticity  in  our  Church  Ser- 
vices, more  power  of  adapting  the  old  framework 
of  the  Prayer-Book  (a  framework  which  has  often 
proved  the  greatest  of  safeguards,  but  which  is 
somewhat  stiff  and  antiquated)  to  the  devotional 
exigencies  of  the  present   day.     We  have  now 
Harvest    Services,    Choral     Festivals,    religious 
Brotherhoods   and   Sisterhoods,   organizations   of 
women's  work,  and  many  other  agencies  which  we 
had  not  half  a  century  ago.     Our  present  Offices 
and  Prayers  are  admirably  suited  to  the  occasions 
for  which  they  were  compiled  ;  but  these  new  agen- 
cies cannot  all  run  in  the  old  groove ;   we  want 
some  expansion  of  our  existing  devotional  forms, 
to  suit  them  to  current  needs.     In  the  absence  of  C-f^ofn'^ 

scrbiccs.  to 

anv  such   authorized  expansion,  the  new  spirit  «»«'  "f^ 

^  '  ^  forms  of 

which  is  fermenting  in  the  Church  will  carve  out  rcUflious 
new  channels  for  itself,  and  we  shall  have  Ser- 
vices according  to  fancy,  not  according  to  rubrics, 
— the  new  wine  will  burst  the  old  bottles. 
"What  we  want  is  just  what  is  tersely  expressed 
in  the  Article,  an  exercise  of  "  the  Church's  power 
to  decree  rites  or  ceremonies." — And  again,  the 
progress  of  thought  on  religious  subjects,  which 
can  no  more  be  stayed  in  its  course  than  the  sun 
can,  if  it  has  been  productive  of  some  good,  has 
also  been  attended  with  serious  dangers  to  the 
faith  in  Christ,  has  given  rise  to  heresies  and 
wanton  contradictions  of  the  popular  creed,  which 


2 1 8  On  the  Powers  of  [chap. 

cause  doubt  in  some  minds,  and  extreme  per- 
i^cct  of  a      plexity  in  others.     Here,  then,  is  just  the  emer- 
conshtutct     gency,  in  which  we  want  the  adjudication  of  a  pro- 
tribunal,       perly  constituted  Church  tribunal.     But  we  have 
it  not.     We  have  it  not  at  all  in  practice,  and 
asrasons  iuijg  very  insufficiently  in  theory.     The  Convocations 
©onijocation,  of  the  Northern  and  Southern  Provinces  might,  no 
doubt,  frame  new  Services,  or  make  any  modifica- 
tions and  adaptations  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  which  might  be  tliought  desirable ;  but  so 
long  as  the  union    between    Church  and   State 
subsists  (an  union  fraught  with  great  blessings  to 
both),  the  Acts  of  Convocation  must  have  the 
sanction  of  Acts  of  Parliament,  before  they  could 
have  any  legal  force,  and  the  difficulty  of  procuring 
such  Acts  in  these  days,  when  so  many  Members 
of   Parliament  are  hostile  or  indifferent  to  the 
Church,  would  be  so  great  that  it  might  reason- 
ably be  called  insuperable.     The  same  obstacle 
would  present  itself  to  any  approval  by  Parlia- 
ment of  a  synodical  censure  passed  by  Convocation 
on  heretical  writings.     It  is  true  that  such  writ- 
ings may  be,  and  are  occasionally,  pronounced 
inconsistent  with  the  formularies  of  the  Church 
nottf);         of  England,  by  the  Judicial  Committee  of  Privy 

SuDicial  ,  '     ,     .  ,  '' 

ecommuttt     Council,  and  their  authors  punished  by  suspension 
fltounni meet  or  deprivation;   but  the  Judicial  Committee  is 

ttitsencrts.  /-n  i 

not  a  Church  court ;  it  represents  (and  professes 
to  represent)  not  the  Church,  but  the  State ;  nor 
(to  do  them  justice)  can  anything  be  more  em- 
phatic than  their  disavowal  of  any  claim  to  be  a 
5Ci)e  Suiiiciai  court  of  hercsy.  They  announce  that  they  do  not 
not  a  court     try  the  writiiifT  submitted  to  them  by  the  standard 


VII.]  the  Church  in  Coiuicil.  219 

of  the  Holy  Scriptures  and  primitive  antiquity, 
which  in  an  orthodox  Church  Council  would  be 
the  only  criteria.  Their  business,  they  say,  and 
doubtless  truly,  is  simply  to  say  whether  a  limited 
context  extracted  from  certain  suspicious  docu- 
ments, is  so  entirely  contradictory  to  another 
limited  context,  extracted  from  the  Articles  or 
Tormularies  of  the  Church,  that  the  writers  must 
be  deprived  of  the  means  of  gaining  a  livelihood 
from  the  exercise  of  their  Ministry. — Such,  then, 
is  our  sore  point  in  the  Church  of  England, — 
the  abeyance  in  which  the  legislative  and  judicial 
functions  of  the  Church  are  at  present  held 
amongst  us.  We  may  hope  that  the  acknow- jsutifu 
lodgment  of  the  sore  point  is  the  first  step  to  a  ^^Lwl-a  tf)at 
remedy ;  and  I  must  add  my  strong  conviction  Ipnsian"t)a°B 
that  the  principle,  upon  which  the  remedy  should  "^  ^^  "*^' 
proceed,  ought  to  be,  to  acknowledge  practically 
that  the  State  and  the  Church  must  not  inter- 
fere in  any  measure  with  one  another's  functions; 
that  as,  on  the  one  hand,  the  Church  must  not 
claim  to  inflict  temporal  penalties,  so,  on  the 
other,  the  State  must  not  presume  to  pronounce 
judgment  either  of  acquittal  or  censure  in  charges 
spiritual. 

jNIeanwhile,  let  us  couple  this  admission  against  so  ijafae  aii 
ourselves  with  the  reflection  that  all  other  Com-  munions. 
munions  have  their  sore  points  also.  The  Lord 
predicted  that  there  shoidd  be  tares  among  the 
wheat  in  the  harvest^field  of  His  Church;  and 
the  tares  may  be  taken  to  represent  not  only 
wicked  people  in  the  community,  but  defects  and 
vicious  debilitating  principles  in  the  system  of 


220 


On  the  Powers  of  [chap. 


IB,  esatrre 
can  toe  finU 
iijE  fcfacst 
ic&cts? 


each  Commimion.  Every  individual  has  his 
faults ;  and  eveiy  Cluirch  has  its  flaws.  This  is 
my  answer  to  those  persons  who  have  consulted 
me  as  to  whether  the  failure  of  our  Communion 
in  censuring  what  they  regard  as  heresy,  does  not 
oblige  them  to  migrate  to  some  other  Communion, 
where  the  living  voice  of  the  Church  may  be 
srijc gucstion  heard.  My  answer  is;  "Granted  that  the  dear 
old  Mother  Church  has  her  faults,  where  will  you 
go  that  you  will  not  find  faults  more  fatal  and 
more  fundamental  ?  If  you  can  show  me  a  Chris- 
tian community  %ij)on  the  whole  more  Scriptural 
in  its  doctrine,  and  more  primitive  and  apostolic 
in  its  discipline,  I  will  not  only  allow  you  to 
migrate  thither,  but  wiU  gladly  strike  my  own 
tent  and  march  out  in  your  company.  But  to 
take  a  leap  in  a  matter  so  momentous  to  our  best 
interests,  without  looking  well  before  us,  to  see 
what  will  be  our  exact  condition  when  we  alight, 
would  be,  to  my  mind,  an  act  no  less  sinful  than 
foolish.  ^^^lither  do  we  think  of  going,  or 
whither,  at  least,  that  we  shall  be  certain  to  better 
ourselves  ?  To  Eome  ?  What !  To  a  communion 
which  can  indeed  boast  an  ecclesiastical  autho- 
rity, but  an  authority  which  sets  at  defiance,  nay, 
tramples  under  foot,  the  great  statute-book  of  God's 
realm,  and  the  Magna  Charta  of  our  spiritual  liber- 
ties; an  authority  which  mutilates  Sacraments, 
and  deprives  the  laity  of  the  consecrated  symbol 
of  the  Blood  of  Christ;  an  authority  which, 
in  defiance  of  God's  law,  'Thou  shalt  not  bow 
down  to  graven  images,  nor  worship  them,'  prac- 
tically says,  'Thou  shalt  bow  down;'  an  autho- 


Clifsfiort- 
fomings  of 
the  1\  Oman 
Com  inunion 


VII.]  the  ChiircJi  in  Council.  221 

rity  wliich  has  had  the  intolerable  impuJcuce  to 
frame  a  new  dogma  in  the  nineteenth  century, 
and  to  make  the  immaculate  conception,  not 
of  our  Lord,  but  of  His  mother,  an  Article  of 
1  aith  \ "  No !  without  denying  for  a  moment 
that  there  have  been  many  eminent  saints  in  the 
Church  of  Eome  (an  instance  that  God's  grace  in 
the  heart  can  neutralize  any  amount  of  specula- 
tive error),  we  still  maintain  that  speculative 
error  (especially  on  points  which  lie  so  near  to 
the  core  of  true  religion  as  those  on  which  our 
controversy  with  Home  turns)  is  most  dangerous, 
and  likely  to  prove  even  fatal  to  those  who,  not 
from  early  associations,  but  from  pique  and  petu- 
lant impatience  with  their  own  position,  embrace 
it  deliberately,  after  having  known  a  purer  faith. — 
Where,  then,  shall  we  go,  if  a  migration  to  Eome 
be  utterly  out  of  the  question  ?  To  some  sect  of  j-f,^  gf,ort- 
Christians,  among  whom  Holy  Scripture  is  duly  [grc^dg^fau 
honoured  and  made  the  standard  of  appeal,  but  ^"'^" 
among  whom  also  the  living  voice  of  the  Chm'ch 
is  heard,  ordaining  rites,  judging  heresies,  censur- 
ing offenders  ?  But  not  to  speak  of  the  sacrilice 
of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  which  we 
should  thus  have  to  make,  and  which,  painfully 
as  it  would  jar  upon  all  oui-  devotional  instincts, 
might  not  yet  be  thought  to  involve  a  funda- 
mental principle,  what  apostolic  authority  has 
such  a  sect?  Without  daring  to  deny  to  Pres- 
byterian and  other  commimities  a  Ministry  and 
Sacraments  (on  the  ground  that  God's  grace  is 
so  abounding  as  often  to  overflow  the  regular 
cliaunels  of  His  own  appointment),  we  yet  should 


2  2  2  On  the  Powers  of  [chap. 

be  loath  indeed   to   exchange   a  regular   for   an 
iLons  usage   irregular  channel.      There   is  always   the  possi- 
Bandion     '  bllity  and   the   hope,  which  we  may  charitably 
in  vs\t  Bisijt    cherish,  that   long   centuries  of   irregular   usage 
may  more  or  less  have  sanctioned  that  usage  in 
the  sight  of  God  (as  long  inheritance  of  a  Crown 
must  be  held  to  give  a  title,  even  though  long 
ages  back  it  was  gained  by  usurpation) ;  but  who- 
ever he  was  in  the  history  of  the  Church,  who 
first  of  all  sought  to  confer  or  receive  Orders  out 
of  the  apostolic  line,  "illi   robur   et  aes  triplex 
circa  pectus  erat," — he  had  a  superhuman  hardi- 
hood, to  face  out  so  boldly  the  story  of  Korah 
and   his   company;    and  the  great   blot   on  the 
escutcheon  of  Wesley — an  escutcheon  otherwise  of 
eminent  sanctity  and  wide-spread  usefulness — is, 
that   in   his   latter   days  (when  we  may  believe 
that  his  faculties  were  somewhat  on  the  wane) 
he  took  upon  him  to  communicate  a  power  which 
he  had  never  received,  and  to  consecrate  a  bishop. 
But  must  we  confine  the  recommendations  of 
our  own  Church  to  the  negative   praise  of   its 
having   fewer    faults   than    its    rivals  ?      Surely 
■mt  man      not  SO.     AVe  believe,  in  the  first  place,  that  the 
tope  tijat  our  sorc   point   itself  IS   in  process  of  bemg  reme- 
proass^'or"  died;    that  recent  events    have    made    thinking 


ocing 
remcSifti ; 


people  feel  that  we  must  have  an  ecclesiastical 
legislature,  and  a  properly  constituted  ecclesias- 
tical tribunal.  The  desired  consummation  may 
be  long  in  coming,  but  it  will  patiently  work 
itself  out,  when  the  subject  has  been  thoroughly 
ventilated,  prejudices  overcome,  and  convictions 
sufficiently  matured.     Meanwhile,  if  the  legisla- 


VII.]  the  CImrch  in  Council.  223 

ture  and  judicature  of  the  CImrch  be  somewhat 
in  abeyance,  in  that  other  department  of  action, 
her  INIinistries,  our  Church  shows  greater  vitality  anu  cfrtnints 
than  ever.     Never,  probably,  has  any  period  of  gj^ic^^if our 
English  history  witnessed  a  greater  activity  among  grcaut 
the  clergy.     Not  very  often  has  greater  learning  ci^cr'/'"  '^°" 
or  ability  been  displayed  by  the  champions  of 
religion,  in  defending   Truth   against  those  who 
have  assailed  her.     Never  has  there  been  a  time, 
when  more  schemes  were  originated  for  promoting 
the  temporal  and  spiritual  welfare  of  the  masses, 
and  even  for  the  evangelization  of  the  heathen,  anu  rciisioua 
These  and   the    like    signs    ought  surely  to  be  ^bf'ro'toVcrc 
accepted  by  candid  persons  as  an  evidence  that  ^^n^\x. 
while  our  system,  like  all  others,  has  its  defects, 
the  living  presence  of  our  Lord  is  still  with  our 
beloved  Church.     If  so,  we  are  safe,  and  should 
be  happy  and  thankful  where  we  are.    All  is  well,  an  is  fatii,  if 
if  the  Lord  be  in  the  boat,  whatever  waves  of  con-  saitb  us. 
troversy  may  surge  and  swell  around  her.     And 
by  seeking  to  know  the  power  of  His  presence  in 
our  own  hearts,  and  by  staunch  fidelity  to  our 
principles  as  Christians  and  Churchmen,  we  may 
perchance  be  allowed  to  be  His  honoured  instru- 
ments to  set  in  order  some  of  the  things  which 
are  wanting,  and  to  give  to  our  own  Communion 
such  symmetry  and  beauty,  that  we  may  be  able 
to  challenge  admiration  for  her,  and  to  commend 
her  to  posterity,  in  the  words  of  the  Psalmist : — 
"  Walk  about  Zion,  and  go  round  about  her : 
tell  the  towers  thereof.     Mark  ye  well  her  bul- 
warks, consider  her  palaces  ;  that  ye  may  tell  it 
to  the  generation  following." 


2  24  Catechism,  [chap. 


Cittei:hi0m  aw  OThajr.  '53ii. 

1.  CatecMst. — In  your  former  examinations  you  have 
pointed  out  how  our  Lord  occupied  Himself  in 
the  period  which  elapsed  between  His  Resurrection 
and  Ascension,  in  laying  the  foundations  of  His 
Church.  What  further  light  may  we  expect  that 
the  book  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  will  throw 
upon  the  subject? 

Answer. — It  may  be  expected  to  show  how  the  pre- 
rogatives and  powers  bestowed  by  Christ  upon  His 
Church  were  actually  asserted  and  exerted. 

2.  Question. — In  what  style  does  the  decree  of  the 
first  Christian  Council  run  ? 

Answer. — In  this  style ;  "It  seemed  good  to  the 
Holy  Grhost,  and  to  us"  (see  Acts  xv.  28). 

3.  Question. — By  whom  was  the  decree  issued  ? 
Ansiuer. — By  "  the  apostles  and  elders  and  brethren  " 

(see  ver,  23). 

4.  Question. — How  had  the  members  of  the  Council 

arrived  at  their  conclusion  ? 
Answer. — By  a  discussion  in  which  St.  Peter  and  St. 
Paul  (with  his  associate,  St.  Barnabas)  had  taken  pro- 
minent parts  ;  and  which  was  summed  up  by  St.  James, 
who  presided  at  the  meeting,  and,  having  heard  what 
was  said,  suggested  a  measure,  which  was  carried. 

5.  Question. — By  what  principle  were  the  members  of 
the  Council  guided  to  the  conclusion  at  which  they 
arrived  ? 

Ansiver. — By  considering  what  God  had  recently 
done,  and  what  He  had  formerly  said. 

6.  Question. — What  had  God  recently  done,  to  which 
appeal  was  made  by  St.  Peter  ? 

Ansiver. — He  had  indicated,  by  several  unmistakable 
signs,  His  will  that  the  Gentiles  should  be  admitted  to 
the  Church ;  and  had  shown  them  to  be  proper  sub- 
jects for  Baptism,  by  sending  down  His  Holy  Spirit 


VII.]  Catechism.  225 

upon  them,  just  as  He  had  done  at  Pentecost  upon 
Jewish  believers  (see  Acts  x.  11,  12,  15,  17,  19,  44). 

7.  Question. — What   does  St.  Peter  argue  from  this 

circumstance  ? 
Aiisu-er. — That  the  Gentiles  were  not  to  be  brought 
under  the  yoke  of  the  Ceremonial  Law  (see  Acts  xv. 
10),  God  having  bestowed  His  grace  upon  them  without 
any  such  requirement. 

8.  Question. — What  is  there  very  worthy  of  observa- 
tion in  this  argument  of  St.  Peter's  ? 

Ansiver. — The  fact  that  it  is  an  argument.  Though 
our  Lord  had  said  to  him,  "  Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon 
this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church  "  (St.  Matt.  xvi.  18)  ; 
and  though  he  certainly  was  a  great  pillar  of  the 
Church,  and  is  spoken  of  as  such  by  St.  Paul  (see 
Gal.  ii.  9) ;  yet  he  does  not  settle  the  question  before 
the  Council  on  his  own  authority.  On  the  contrary, 
he  reasons  on  God's  past  dealings  with  him,  and  so 
arrives  at  the  conclusion  as  to  what  ought  to  be  done 
in  the  matter. 

9.  Question. — What  melancholy  contrast  to  St.  Peter's 
modest  conduct  on  this  occasion  is  exhibited  in 
Christendom  nowadays  ? 

Ansiver. — The  pretension  of  the  Pope  (or  Bishop  of 
Rome)  to  decide  all  questions  of  faith  on  his  own  au- 
thority, and  even  without  reference  to  a  General 
Council,  contrasts  strangely  with  the  conduct  of  St. 
Peter,  whose  successor  the  Pope  claims  to  be.  So  that 
he  almost  lays  himself  open  to  the  stricture,  "  If  thou 
wert  St.  Peter's  successor,  thou  wouldest  do  the  works 
of  St.  Peter." 

10.  Catechist. — But  you  said  that  appeal  was  made  at 

the  Council,  not  only  to  God's  recent  dealings, 

but  to  His  ancient  sayings.     How  was  this  ? 

Ansiver. — St.  James,  in  summing  up  the  question, 

and  recommending  a  measure  for  the  adoption  of  the 

Council,  quoted  a  passage  from  the  book  of  Amos,  to 

show  that  the  admission  of  the  Gentiles  into  the  Church 


2  26  Catechism.  [chap. 

[as  Gentiles,  and  without  any  preliminary  discipline 
from  the  Ceremonial  Law)  was  desif];ned  by  God  long 
ages  before  it  was  brought  about.  So  that  in  dispens- 
ing the  Gentiles  from  any  observance  of  that  Law,  they 
would  have  Holy  Scripture,  as  well  as  God's  dealings 
with  themselves,  for  what  they  were  doing  (Acts  xv. 
15-19). 

11.  Question. — But  if  the   conclusion  was   arrived  at 

by  argument  from  God's  Word  and  dealings,  and 

thus  by  the  exercise  of  the  human  faculties,  was 

it  not  presumptuous  in  "  the  apostles  and  elders 

and  brethren  "  to  ascribe  it  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  as 

they  do  when  they  say ;  "It  seemed  good  to  the 

Holy  Ghost,  and  to  us  "  ? 

Ansxoer. — No  ;  because  they  had  promises  from  the 

great  Head  of  the  Church  of  His  presence  with  them, 

and  His  guidance  of  their  minds,  to  doubt  which  would 

have  been  sinful  in  them. 

12.  Question. — What  promises  do  you  more  especially 

refer  to  ? 
Answer. — The  promise  of  Christ's  presence  to  the 
two  or  three  gathered  together  in  His  Name,  which  is 
found  in  St.  Matt,  xviii.  20.  Now  His  presence  with 
them  would  be  a  presence  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  according 
to  that  word  of  His  own ;  "  I  will  pray  the  Father,  and 
he  shall  give  you  another  Comforter,  that  he  may  abide 
with  you  for  ever,  even  the  Spirit  of  truth.  .  .  .  I 
loill  not  leave  you  comfortless  :  Iioill  come  to  you"  (St. 
John  xiv.  16-19).  And  then  again  there  is  the  more 
special  promise  of  the  guidance  of  their  minds  by  the 
Holy  Spirit ;  "  Howbeit  when  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth, 
is  come,  he  loill  guide  you  into  all  truth  "  (St.  John  xvi. 
13),  and,  "  The  Comforter,  which  is  the  Holy  Ghost, 
whom  the  Father  will  send  in  my  name,  he  shall  teach 
you  all  things  "  (St.  John  xiv.  26).  And  the  Evangelist 
who  records  these  promises  makes  no  doubt  of  their  ful- 
filment. Writing  to  Christians,  he  speaks  of  them  as 
divinely  taught  and  guided.  "  Ye  have  an  tmction 
from  the  Holy  One,  and  ye  know  all  things    .    .    .    the 


VII.]  Catechism.  227 

anointing  which  ye  have  received  of  him  abidcth  in  you, 
and  \jc  need  not  that  any  man  teach  you :  but  as  the 
same  anointing  tcacheth  you  of  all  things,  and  is  truth, 
and  is  no  lie,  and  even  as  it  hath  taught  you,  ye  shall 
abide  in  him"  (1  John  ii.  20,  27).  This  is  quite  as 
peremptory  an  assertion  of  the  guidance  of  Christians 
by  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  the  style  in  which  the  decree  of 
the  first  Council  runs ;  "It  seemed  good  to  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  to  us." 

13.  Catechist. — To  complete  your  proof  of  the  Coun- 
cil's   not    having    spoken    presumptuously,    you 
have  only  now  to  show  that  the  Spirit  of  truth  had 
already  come  at  the  time  they  professed   to  be 
guided  by  it. 
^nsti'er.— That  is  easily  done.     The  first  Council  is 
ascribed  to  the  year  a.d.  51  or  52.     But  the  great  day 
of  Pentecost,  which  was  marked  by  the  descent  of  the 
Holy  Ghost   on   the    Church,  when  the   Lord  Jesus, 
'•  being  by  the  right  hand  of  God  exalted,   and  having 
received  of  the  Father  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Ghost," 
shed  forth  the  "  cloven  tongues  like  as  of  fire,"  and  the 
"  other  tongues"  (see  Acts  ii.  33,  34),  fell  in  the  year 
A.D.  33,   nearly  twenty   years  previously.      St.  Paul 
speaks  of  the  pouring  out  of  the  Holy  Ghost  as  standing 
in  close  connexion  with,  and  as  the  immediate  conse- 
quence of,  the  Ascension  of  Christ:  "Wherefore  he 
saith,  When  he  ascended  up  on  high,  he  led  captivity 
cn'ptive,  and  gave  gifts  unto  men  .  .   .  He  that  descended 
is  the  same  also  that  ascended  up  far  above  all  heavens, 
that  he   might  Jill   all   things.     And   he    gave    some, 
apostles ;  and  some,  prophets,  etc.  etc.  (see  Eph.  iv. 
8,  10,  11). 

14.  Question. — What  sort  of  government  must  that  of 

the  Church  be,  if  Christ  is  ever  present  with  her, 

"  even   unto   the   end  of  world,"   by  His  Holy 

Spirit  ? 

A^isiuer. — A  government  which  legislates  as  (and  not 

before)  the  occasion  for  legislation  arises.     Thus,  for 

example,  when  officers  were  found  necessary  to  relieve 


2  28  Catcchis7n.  [chap. 

the  Apostles  of  some  of  the  secular  business  which 
devolved  upon  them,  such  ofl&cers  were  appointed  and 
ordained  (see  Acts  vi.  1-7).  And  some  time  after- 
wards, when  a  grave  question  had  arisen  touching  the 
obligation  of  Gentiles  to  observe  the  Ceremonial  Law, 
a  Council  was  called  together  to  decide  it.  The  Church, 
under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  spoke  and  acted 
as  the  occasion  for  utterance  and  action  arose. 

15.  Catechist. — This  mode  of  government  might  be 
very  safe  and  proper,  so  long  as  those  inspired 
rulers  of  the  Church,  the  Apostles,  were  alive. 
But  after  their  removal  by  death,  could  the  Church 
be  trusted  to  legislate  for  herself  as  emergencies 
arose  ? 
Answer. — Yes :  because  Christ's  presence  is  assured 
to  His  Church,  not  merely  till  the  death  of  the  Apostles, 
but  "  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world  "  (see  St.  Matt. 
xxviii.  20).  And  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  was  for 
the  whole  Church,  not  for  the  Apostles  only.  Thus  St. 
John  clearly  recognises  the  gift  as  being  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  believers  to  whom  he  addresses  his  first 
epistle  (see  1  John  ii.  20,  27,  which  I  have  recently 
quoted,  and  from  which  it  would  appear  that  they 
could  dispense  with  all  human  teaching  and  guidance). 
Nor  do  we  ever  find  that  the  Apostles  give  to  the 
Church  any  definite  instructions  how  to  act  under  the 
particular  heresies  and  contradictions  which  should 
from  time  to  time  arise,  though  they  frequently  warn 
us  of  the  appearance  of  such  heresies,  in  order  that  we 
may  be  prepared  for  them  when  they  arise,  and  not  be 
staggered  or  have  our  faith  shaken  by  them.  Witness 
what  St.  Paul  says  in  taking  leave  of  the  Ephesian 
presbyters ;  "  For  I  know  this,  that  after  my  departing 
shall  grievous  wolves  enter  in  among  you,  not  sparing 
the  flock.  Also  of  your  own  selves  shall  men  arise, 
speaking  perverse  things,  to  draw  away  disciples  after 
them.  Therefore  watch,"  etc.  (Acts  xx,  29-32) ;  and 
what  St.  Jude  says  respecting  the  general  testimony  of 
the  Apostles  as  to  the  future ;  "  But,  beloved,  remember 
ye  the  words  which  were  spoken  before  of  the  apostles 


VII.]  Catechism.  229 

of  our  Lord  Jcsns  Christ ;  how  that  they  told  you  there 
should  be  mockers  in  the  last  time,  who  should  walk 
after  their  own  ungodly  lusts,"  etc.  (Jude  17,  18).  But 
this  warning  of  future  perils,  that  the  Church  might 
take  comfort  under  trial  by  knowing  it  to  have  been 
foreseen  and  foreordained,  is  quite  a  different  thing 
from  definite  instructions  as  to  how  to  act  in  future 
diflBculties,  which  we  never  find  in  the  Apostles'  writ- 
ings. 

IG.  Question. — Do  you  mean  then  to  imply  that,  when 
the  Apostles  were  removed,  the  Church  was  to  be 
left  entirely  to  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
acting  upon  the  natural  faculties  with  which  God 
had  endowed  her? 
Ansroer. — By  no  means.  God  has  taken  care  to 
furnish  the  Church  with  a  standard  of  appeal  as  to  the 
principles  which  should  guide  her,  and  has  only  left 
her  to  adjust  her  decisions  of  particular  questions  to 
those  principles.  We  have  seen  that  the  Apostles  in 
Council  referred  to  the  Old  Testament,  as  furnishing 
the  principles  by  which  they  should  be  guided  (see 
Acts  XV.  15-18).  And  when  the  Apostles  themselves 
were  removed  by  death,  they  and  their  inspired  con- 
temporaries and  associates  left  behind  them  those  writ- 
ings which  go  under  the  name  of  the  New  Testament. 
Thus  it  appears  that  the  guidance  under  which  the 
Church  is  placed  in  all  the  difficulties  and  oppositions, 
which  time  and  the  course  of  Divine  Providence  bring 
to  the  birth,  is  twofold  ;  first,  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit 
of  truth,  enlightening  her  judgment;  secondly,  the 
guidance  of  Holy  Scripture,  which,  without  explicitly 
giving  the  solution  of  all  questions  which  may  arise, 
announces  the  principles  on  which  all  questions  must 
be  solved. 

17.  Catechist. — But  may  not  objections  reasonably  be 
raised  to  this  twofold  guidance  ?  Is  it  not  pro- 
bable that  people  will  be  perplexed  between  the 
two  authorities  ?  And  may  not  God  be  expected  to 
give  to  souls  desirous  of  arriving  at  the  Truth  such 


230  Catechism.  [chap. 

easy  straightforward  guidance,  as  that  it  shall  be 
impossible  to  miss  the  right  road,  or  to  be  per- 
plexed as  to  the  direction  in  which  it  lies  ? 
Answer. — On  the  contrary,  if  God  designs  to  try  a 
man's  character,  and  to  exercise  his  spiritual  instincts 
in  the  discovery  of  religious  truth,  it  is  not  likely  that 
He  will  make  the  truth  so  plain,  as  that  it  shall  be 
impossible  to  miss  it. 

18.  Catechist. — You  answer  rightly.  It  is  a  very  im- 
portant principle  of  God's  dealings  with  us  that 
He  makes  the  discovery  of  His  truth  a  trial  of 
character  to  us,  while  at  the  same  time  He  gives 
us  important  helps  towards  the  discovery.  Can 
you  give  me  an  illustration  of  this  mode  of  dealing 
with  us? 

Answer. — Yes.  If  a  father  wished  to  exercise  the 
mind  of  his  child  by  making  him  find  the  way  to  a  cer- 
tain place,  he  would  not  get  a  sign-post  put  up  at 
every  turn  where  two  or  three  roads  met ;  this  would 
make  it  impossible  for  the  child  to  miss  the  road  ;  but 
he  would  place  a  map  and  a  compass  in  the  child's  hand, 
and  point  out  to  him  on  the  map  the  place  from  which 
he  is  to  start,  and  that  which  he  is  to  reach.  When 
the  child  comes  to  a  place  where  several  roads  meet, 
he  will  have  to  look  at  the  map,  and  see  the  direction 
which  he  ought  to  take  ;  and  then  the  compass  will  tell 
him  which  of  the  roads  leads  in  that  direction. 

19.  Question. — What  are  the  two  helps  with  which 
God  has  furnished  us  for  arriving  at  the  Truth, 
and  which  will  certainly,  if  faithfully  used,  con- 
duct us  to  the  end  ? 

Ansiver. — The  Holy  Scriptures  and  the  Church,  the 
first  of  which  may  be  called  our  spiritual  chart,  and  the 
second  our  spiritual  compass. 

20.  Catechist. — Yes.     The  guidance,  therefore,  whicli 

God  gives  us,  is  complex  and  not  simple ;  we 
have  two  things  to  consult  and  not  one.  Does 
the  analogy  of  Nature  teach  us  that  complex 
structures  are  of  a  higher  order  than  simple  ? 


VII.]  Catechism.  231 

Answer. — It  does.  The  lowest  forms  of  animal  life 
are  those  in  which  one  organ  serves  for  every  natural 
function.  As  we  rise  higher  in  the  scale,  a  different 
organ  is  developed  for  each  function,  until  we  reach  the 
body  of  man,  which,  as  it  is  the  highest,  so  it  is  also 
the  most  highly  complicated  animal  structure. 

21.  Calechist. — But   surely,    if  the    authority   of  the 

Church  has  such  an  important  position  in  the 
scheme  of  Human  Salvation  as  you  ascribe  to  it, 
it  must  be  clearly  defined.  There  must  be  no 
doubt  as  to  what  the  Church's  province  is, — as  to 
what  she  may  and  may  not  do.  Can  you  then 
define  her  powers  ? 
Answer.  They  are  chiefly  two  ;  legislative  and  judi- 
cial. 

22.  Question. — How  far  does  the  Church's  legislative 
power  extend  ? 

Ansiver. — She  "  hath  power  to  decree  Rites  or  Cere- 
monies." 

23.  Question. — What  was  the  earliest  exercise  of  this 
power  ? 

Answer.  The  decree  of  the  Council  of  Jerusalem, 
which  declared  the  observance  of  the  Jewish  Ceremonial 
Law  not  to  be  binding  upon  the  Gentiles,  while,  at  the 
same  time,  it  laid  certain  ceremonial  restrictions  upon 
them. 

24.  Question. — With  what  beneficial  effects  was  this 
exercise  of  the  Church's  legislative  power  at- 
tended ? 

Ansiver. — Isf,  consolation.  See  Acts  xv.  30,  31 : 
"  So  when  they  were  dismissed,  they  came  to  Antioch ; 
and  when  they  had  gathered  the  multitude  together, 
they  delivered  the  epistle  :  which  when  they  had  read, 
they  rejoiced  for  the  consolation.^'  2d,  establishment 
in  the  faith  ;  and  3d,  increase  in  numbers.  See  Acts 
xvi.  4,  5  :  "  And  as  they  went  through  the  cities,  they 
delivered  them  the  decrees  for  to  keep,  that  were  or- 
dained of  the  apostles  and  elders  which  were  at  Jeru- 


232  Catechism.  [chap. 

salem.     And  so  were  the  churches  established  in  the 
faith,  and  increased  in  number  daily." 

25.  Catechist. — Give  an  instance  in  which  the  Reformed 

Church  of  England  has  exercised  the  "  power  to 
decree  Rites  or  Ceremonies." 
Answer. — She   exercised  this  power  when  she  de- 
termined to  retain  the  sign  of  the  Cross  in  Baptism, 
which  is  an  edifying  ceremony,  though  it  adds  nothing 
to  the  spiritual  effect  of  the  Sacrament. 

26.  Question. — What  steps  might  our  Church  lawfully 

take  in  the  same  direction  at  present  ? 
Answer. — She  might  add  new  Services  to  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer  ;  such  as,  a  Service  for  a  Harvest 
Thanksgiving,  or  a  Service  for  the  Induction  of  a  new 
Minister. 

27.  Question. — Is  the  power  of  the  Church  "  to  de- 
cree Rites  or  Ceremonies  "  limited  by  any  consti- 
tutional check  ? 

Answer.— Most  assuredly.  "  It  is  not  lawful  for  the 
Church,"  says  our  Twentieth  Article,  "  to  ordain  any 
thing  that  is  contrary  to  God's  Word  written." 

28.  Question. — By  way  of  illustration,  can  you  suppose 
a  case  in  which  the  Church  might  ordain  some- 
thing contrary  to  God's  Word  written  ? 

Ansiver. — Let  us  suppose  that,  in  a  Harvest  Thanks- 
giving Service,  it  was  proposed  to  insert  some  such 
words  as  these  :  "  0  ye  holy  angels  of  heaven,  by 
whose  ministrations  God  sends  us  dew,  and  rain,  and 
sunshine,  we  offer  unto  you  praise  and  adoration  for  the 
conveyance  of  these  blessings." 

29.  Question. — To  what  parts  of  "  God's  Word  written  " 
would  such  an  ascription  of  praise  be  contrary  ? 

Answer. — To  Rev.  xxii.  8,  9  :  "  And  when  I  had 
heard  and  seen,  I  fell  down  to  worship  before  the  feet 
of  the  angel  which  shewed  me  these  things.  Then 
saith  he  unto  me,  See  thou  do  it  not :  for  I  am  thy 
fellow-servant,  and  of  thy  brethren  the  prophets,  and 


VII.]  Catechism.  233 

of  them  which  keep  the  sayings  of  this  book  :  worship 
God."  (And  see  also  Rev.  xix.  10.)  And  to  Col.  ii. 
18,  19  :  "  Let  no  man  beguile  30U  of  your  reward  in 
a  voluntary  humility  and  worshipping  of  angels,  in- 
truding into  those  things  which  he  hath  not  seen,  vainly 
puffed  up  by  his  fleshly  mind,  and  not  holding  the  Head." 

30.  Question. — "Will  you  define  the  Church's  judicial 
power  ? 

Answer. — She  "  hath  authority  in  Controversies  of 
Faith,"  that  is,  power,  in  a  doctrinal  controversy,  to 
declare,  by  a  reference  to  Holy  Scripture,  and  to  the 
way  in  which  it  was  understood  by  the  primitive  Church, 
what  the  true  Faith  is. 

31.  Question. — Did  "  the  apostles  and  elders"  who  met 

in  Council  at  Jerusalem,  refer  to  God's  Word  to 
sanction  their  decision  ? 
Answer. — Yes  ;  I  have  already  shown  that  they  did 
so  in  the  earlier  part  of  this  examination.     See  espe- 
cially my  answer  to  Question  10. 

32.  Catechist. — The  Church,  then,  can  only  declare, 
not  make,  an  Article  of  Faith.  And  she  can  de- 
clare it  only  out  of  Holy  Scripture,  which  is  the 
alone  source  of  Doctrine.  Can  you  compare  this 
function  of  the  Church  to  the  function  of  any  order 
of  men  among  ourselves  ? 

Ansiver. — Yes  ;  to  the  function  of  judges.  It  is  not 
the  province  of  a  judge  to  make  the  law — that  is  done 
by  the  Imperial  Parliament.  The  judge's  business  is 
merely  to  expound  the  law,  and  declare  what  it  is. 
Similarly,  Holy  Scripture  is  God's  statute-book  ;  and 
the  Church's  province  is  to  expound  and  declare  the 
doctrines  and  precepts  found  in  that  statute-book. 

33.  Question. — What  other  power,  besides  the  legis- 

lative and  judicial,  has  the   Church,  which  is  not 

distinctly  recognised  in  the  Twentieth  Article  ? 

Ansiver. — The  power  of  organizing  herself  to  meet 

the    varying    emergencies,  to    which    the   progress    of 

Society  and  the  march  of  God's  Providence  may  give 

rise. 


234  Catechism,  [chap. 

34.  Question. — AYhy  is  the  present  a  time  when  the 
Scriptural  warrant  for  such  action  on  the  part  of 
the  Church  should  be  well  considered  ? 
Answer. — Because  the  Church  in  our  own  country, 
pressed  by  many  needs,   is  daily  putting    forth  new 
organizations  to  meet  them  ;  such  as  Sisterhoods,  Dea- 
coness Institutions,  Lay  Keaderships,  and  the  like. 

35.  Question. — Where  is  the  Scriptural  warrant  for 
such  organizations  to  be  found  ? 

Ansiver. — In  Acts  vi.,  where  we  read  (ver.  1)  that 
"  when  the  number  of  the  disciples  was  multiplied,  there 
arose  a  murmuring  of  the  Grrecians  against  the  Hebrews, 
because  their  widows  were  neglected  in  the  daily 
ministration."  To  meet  this  exigency,  the  Apostles 
suggested  to  "the  multitude  of  the  disciples"  the  ap- 
pointment of  "  seven  men  of  honest  report,  full  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  wisdom,"  upon  whom  the  duty  of  dis- 
tributing the  funds  of  the  Church  (see  Acts  iv.  35) 
might  be  devolved.  These  oflBcers  were  accordingly 
elected  by  the  Church,  and  "set  before  the  apostles," 
who  ordained  them  with  prayer  and  laying  on  of  hands 
(Acts  vi.  5,  6). 

36.  Question. — In  what  part  of  His  teaching  had  our 
Lord  laid  down  the  principle  of  such  an  arrange- 
ment ? 

Answer. — He  had  said  (St.  Luke  v.  37,  38),  "No 
man  putteth  new  wine  into  old  bottles ;  else  the  new 
wine  will  burst  the  bottles,  and  be  spilled,  and  the 
bottles  shall  perish.  But  new  wine  must  be  put  into 
new  bottles,  and  both  are  preserved."  That  is,  when 
a  new  spirit  is  fermenting  in  the  Church,  old  forius 
will  not  suffice;  but  new  ones  must  be  devised  to 
retain  it.  This  was  said,  in  the  first  instance,  of  fast- 
ing, which  is  a  discipline  suited  for  certain  circum- 
stances of  the  Church,  but  unsuited  to  the  period  of 
the  Bridegroom's  presence,  when  a  new  and  strange 
joy  filled  the  hearts  of  the  disciples.  But  it  will 
apply  generally  to  all  such  old  forms  as,  having 
been  once  useful  and  necessary,  are  found  too  narrow 


VII.]  Catechism.  235 

for    the    Church    in   new   developments   of  life   and 
activity, 

37.  Question. — "What  Old  Testament  precedent  may 
the  Apostles  have  had  in  view,  in  shifting  part 
of  the  burden  of  Church  administration  to  the 
shoulders  of  subordinate  ministers  ? 

Answer.- — The  precedent  of  what  Moses  did,  by  the 
advice  of  Jethro,  his  father-in-law :  "  Moses  chose 
able  men  out  of  all  Israel,  and  made  them  heads  over 
the  people  ....  and  they  judged  the  people  at  all 
seasons :  the  hard  causes  they  brought  unto  Moses, 
but  every  small  matter  they  judged  themselves  "  (Ex. 
xviii.  25,  2G).  And  again  we  read  in  Num.  xi.  14, 
etc.,  that  when  Moses  complained  that  he  was  not  able 
to  bear  all  the  people  alone,  God  gave  him  this  com- 
mand ;  "  Gather  unto  me  seventy  men  of  the  elders 
of  Israel,  whom  thou  knowest  to  be  the  elders  of  the 
people,  and  officers  over  them  ....  and  I  will  take 
of  the  spirit  which  is  upon  thee,  and  will  put  it  upon 
them ;  and  they  shall  bear  the  burden  of  the  people 
with  thee,  that  thou  bear  it  not  thyself  alone  "  (Num. 
xi.  16,  17). 

38.  Question. — What  are  the  principles  by  which  we 
should  be  guided  in  new  Church  organizations  ? 

Answer. — 1.  Church  help  should  grow  with  Church 
work  ;  2.  This  help  will  frequently  take  the  form  of 
division  of  labour ;  3.  The  Church  (that  is,  the  body 
of  the  disciples)  should  concur  in  the  new  arrange- 
ment ;  4.  The  rulers  of  the  Church  should  give  their 
sanction  and  blessing. 

39.  Cafechist. — You  have  now  pointed  out  that  the 
powers  of  the  Church  are  threefold  :  legislative, 
judicial,  and  economical.  "What  makes  it  espe- 
cially desirable  at  the  present  time  that  the 
Church  should  exert  her  legislative  and  economical 
powers  ? 

Answer. — The  fact  that  the  course  of  Providence 
and  the  progress  of  Society  are  bringing  about  a  new 


236  Catechism.  [chap. 

state  of  things,  wliicli  requires  new  organizations  to 
meet  it.  If  these  organizations  are  not  authoritatively 
sanctioned  by  the  Church,  they  will  exist  without  sanc- 
tion, and  therefore  without  control ;  and  thus  existing, 
they  will  soon  become  extravagant.  The  framework  of 
our  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  excellent  in  itself,  and 
admirably  adapted  to  the  time  at  which  it  was  put 
forth,  requires  expansion  to  meet  the  devotional  exi- 
gencies of  the  present  day.  And  this  expansion  should 
be  given  to  it  by  the  action  of  the  Church  herself,  not 
by  the  fancies  of  individuals  or  of  parties.  But  if  the 
Church  does  not  act,  individuals  and  parties  will  take 
action  of  themselves,  and  the  result  will  be  a  general 
condition  of  ecclesiastical  lawlessness. 

40.  duestion. — And  what  circumstances  of  our  own 
Communion  make  it  especially  desirable  that  the 
Church  should  exert  her  judicial  powers  ? 

Amixoer. — The  scepticism  and  denial  of  the  Faith, 
which  the  progress  of  religious  thought  is  bringing  with 
it  in  its  train,  and  which  call  for  the  censure  of  some 
properly  constituted  Church  tribunal, 

41.  Question. — But  does  not  the  Convocation  of  the 

Provinces  of  Canterbury  and  York,  which  is  the 
Church  of  England  by  representation,  possess  the 
required  power  to  decree  Rites  or  Ceremonies,  to 
declare  what  is  true  doctrine  and  to  censure  what 
is  false,  and  also  to  sanction  new  religious  or- 
ganizations ? 
Ansiver. — Doubtless  the  Convocation  has  rightfully 

this  power,  but  its  hands  are  tied,  so  that  it  is  unable 

to  exert  it. 

42.  Question. — What  is  the  impediment  in  the  way  of 
the  action  of  Convocation,  to  which  you  refer  ? 

Answer. — The  connexion  of  the  Church  with  the 
State  (a  connexion  fraught  with  great  blessings  to 
both),  which  makes  it  necessary  to  obtain  an  Act  of 
Parliament  before  an  Act  of  Convocation  could  have 
any  legal  or  obligatory  force. 


VII.]  CatccJiism.  237 

43.  Crt/fc/(/,s^— This  circumstance  may  indeed  make  it 

difficult,  or  even  impossible,  to  procure  a  legal  and 
authoritative  sanction  to  any  new  Liturgical  office 
or  Church  organization.  But  surely  the  judicial 
power  of  the  Church  is  not  wholly  in  abeyance 
amongst  us,  so  long  as  erroneous  writings  may  be 
censured  as  contrary  to  the  doctrine  of  the  Eng- 
lish Church,  and  their  writers,  if  3Iinisters  of  the 
Church,  punished  by  suspension  or  deprivation. 
And  this  is  done  occasionally  by  the  Judicial 
Committee  of  Privy  Council. 
Answer. — The  Judicial  Committee  is  not  a  Church 

Court,  and  cannot  speak  in  the  name  of  the  Church. 

It  represents  the  authority  of  the  Crown,  not  that  of 

the  Spiritualty. 

44.  Question. — In  what  respect  are  the  proceedings  of 
the  Judicial  Committee,  in  trying  the  writings 
submitted  to  it,  altogether  diflferent  from  those  of 
a  Church  Court? 

Ansiuer. — The  standard  of  reference  in  a  Church 
Court  would  be  the  Holy  Scriptures  and  Primitive 
Anticjuity,  whereas  the  Committee  of  Council  never 
applies  these  tests. 

45.  Question. — What  then  is  their  standard  of  refer- 

ence? 
Answer. — The  Articles  and  Formularies  of  the 
Church  of  England.  Their  professed  business  is  only 
to  ascertain  whether  the  passages  in  the  writings  of 
the  accused,  which  are  quoted  in  the  indictment,  are 
so  contrary  to  those  Articles  and  Formularies,  that  the 
•writers  must  be  suspended  or  deprived.  Nor  is  even 
this  question  of  conformity  or  nonconformity  with  the 
Articles  and  Formularies  handled  by  them  as  a  spiri- 
tual or  ecclesiastical  offence.  The  only  punishment 
they  inflict  is  one  of  deprivation  of  temporalities. 

46.  Catechist. — Yes;  and  temporal  penalties  are  properly 

inflicted  by  a  temporal  Court.  And  the  Committee 
of  Council,  by  inflicting  such  penalties,  declares 
itself  to  be  such  a  Court.     The  oflcnding  party  is 


238  Catechism.  [chap. 

censured,  not  for  religious  error,  but  for  a  breach, 
of  contract  with  the  State  in  teaching  what  he 
had  entered  into  an  engagement  with  the  State 
not  to  teach.  But  if  this  be  the  case,  what  is 
still  wanting  to  the  Church  of  England,  notwith- 
standing the  occasional  action  of  the  Committee  of 
Council  ? 
Answer. — A  rightly  constituted  Church  Court,  which 

may,  in  the  name  of  the  Spiritualty,  pronounce  upon 

and  censure  religious  error. 

47.  Question. — Should  these  defects  of  the  Church  of 

England,  in  respect  of  the  present  exercise  of  the 
Church's  judicial  and  legislative  powers,  move  her 
children  to  forsake  her  Communion  ? 
Answer.  Certainly  not,  unless  they  can  find  a  Com- 
munion more  free  from  defects  elsewhere. 

48.  Catechist. — But  surely  Communions  may  be  found, 
in  which  the  defects  you  have  mentioned  either 
do  not  exist  at  all,  or  are  not  so  apparent.  In 
the  Koman  Church,  for  example,  there  is  a  won- 
derful elasticity,  which  enables  it  to  adapt  itself 
to  fresh  emergencies,  and  also  a  strong  discipline, 
in  virtue  of  which  penance,  censure,  and  excom- 
munication are  administered  freely. 

Ansiver. — Yes ;  but  defects  of  discipline,  organiza- 
tion, and  elasticity  are  by  no  means  the  worst  which 
can  disfigure  a  Church.  How  much  more  vital  is  the 
defect  of  ordaining  something  contrary  to  Holy  Scrip- 
ture, as  the  Roman  Church  does  when  she  forbids  the. 
cup  to  all  but  the  celebrant,  sanctions  the  adoration  of 
images,  pronounces  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  was  con- 
ceived without  sin,  and  ascribes  infallibility  to  the 
Bishop  of  Rome. 

49.  Catechist. — But  there  are  Protestant  Communities, 
which  are  entirely  free  from  these  abominations  of 
Rome,  and  yet  exercise  a  more  or  less  effective 
discipline  upon  their  members,  and  have  a  living 
synodical  government.  Why  not  give  in  your 
adhesion  to  one  of  these  ? 


VII.]  CatccJiis7ii.  239 

Answer.  —  Because  I  cannot  see  in  them  the 
"  Apostles'  fellowship,"  even  if  upon  the  whole  they 
maintain,  with  tolerable  fidelity,  the  "  Apostles'  doc- 
trine." They  all  broke  off  (with  more  or  less  excuse) 
from  the  Old  Church,  and  discarded  the  Ministerial 
Succession,  and  so  cannot  be  said  to  be  built  upon  the 
foundation  of  the  Apostles  and  Prophets. 

50.  Catechist. — But  this  rupture  took  place  a  long 
time  ago.  IMay  we  not  hope  that  the  usage  of 
many  generations  has  more  or  less  sanctioned  the 
irregularity  ? 

Answer. — Surely  we  may.  We  may  hope  and 
believe  everything  for  those  who  had  no  participation 
in  the  sin  of  the  original  schism.  Yet  surely,  as  we 
find  ourselves  elsewhere  and  in  a  regularly  constituted 
Catholic  Church,  unquestionably  built  upon  the  founda- 
tion of  the  Apostles  and  Prophets,  it  were  madness  to 
throw  away  the  advantage  of  our  position,  and  join  a 
community  whose  spiritual  claims  are  (to  say  the  least) 
dubious. 

51.  Catechist. — You  have  admitted,  in  the  course  of 
this  examination,  the  existence  of  some  serious 
defects  in  the  English  Church.  Can  you  adduce 
any  grounds  of  consolation  and  thankfulness, 
which  ought  to  cheer  her  true  children,  and  encou- 
rage them  in  their  allegiance  to  her  ? 

Ansicer. — Yes.  There  is  consolation  to  be  found  in 
patient  hope,  and  in  certain  cheering  symptoms  in  the 
present  state  of  things. 

52.  Question. — What  is  the  consolatory  hope  to  which 
you  refer  ? 

Ansicer. — That  what  is  wanting  to  the  full  vigour 
and  efficiency  of  our  Church  system  will  be  in  due 
time  supplied.  Thinking  and  devout  people  are  so 
struck  with  these  defects,  that  even  now  things  seem 
working  towards  a  remedy. 

53.  Question. — What  cheering  symptoms  are  there  in 

the  present  state  of  things  ? 


240  Cafcchis}n.  [chap.  vii. 

Answer. — The  unusual  activity  manifested  by  the 
Church  in  her  Ministries ;  the  zeal  both  of  Clergy  and 
Laity,  which  shows  itself  in  many  new  forms  of  Church 
work ;  the  energy  and  ability  with  which  the  Truth  is 
maintained  against  error,  and  with  which  efforts  are 
made  to  bring  the  masses  under  the  influence  of  true 
religion. 

54.  Question. — What  do  all  these  things  seem  to 
prove  ? 
Ansiver. — That  the  Lord  is  still  with  our  Church, 
and  will  eventually  exert  His  power  for  her  salvation 
from  the  dangers  which  threaten  her.  And  if  this  be 
so,  we  are  safe,  however  much  the  waves  of  controversy, 
which  surge  and  swell  around  the  Church's  bark,  may 
disquiet  and  terrify  us.  "  Therefore  will  we  not  foar, 
though  the  earth  be  moved :  and  though  the  hills  be 
carried  into  the  midst  of  the  sea.  Though  the  waters 
thereof  rage  and  swell :  and  though  the  mountains 
shake  at  the  tempest  of  the  same.  God  is  in  the  midst 
of  her,  therefore  shall  she  not  be  removed :  God  shall 
help  her  and  that  right  early."  (Ps.  xlvi.  P.B.V.  vv. 
2,  3,  5.) 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

THE  CHURCH  PRESENTING,  EXHIBITING, 
AND  DEFENDING  THE  TRUTH. 

"  ^Itc  hoitsc  of  (5ot),  bliicK  is  the  Chitrck  of  the  Hbing 
Cot),  the  pillar  nrtb  grounb  of  the  truth.  3^nb,  h3ith- 
oiit  coittrobersi],  great  is  the  miistenj  of  gobliness  : 
(Sob  iuas  manifest  in  the  flesh,  justificb  in  the  Spirit, 
seen  of  angels,  preachcb  :tnto  the  ©entiles,  bcUcbeb 
on  in  the  ioorlb,  reccibeb  up  into  glorjj." — i  Timothy 
III.  15,  16. 

rpHE  subject  on  which  we  are  at  present  engaged 
-^    cannot  be  treated  satisfactorily,  without  point- 
ing out  the  relations  which  subsist  between  the 
Church  of  God  and  the  Truth  of  God — relations 
often  grievously  misconceived,  and  not  very  easily 
apprehended  except  by  candid  and  w^ell-balanced 
minds.    These  relations  are  exhibited  to  us  in  the  Ktiatfons  of 
passage  which  stands  at  the  head  of  this  Chapter;  the  rrutb;  " 
and  we  cannot   better   secure  ourselves  against  st  jDaui'g 
error  on  this  important  subject,  than  by  studying  onh"^'""" 
the  designation  which  is  here  given  of  the  Church  '''''""^• 
as  "  the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth."     This 
plan  M-ill  have  another  advantage,  as  falling  in 
with  the  orderly  treatment  of  the  subject.    In  the 
Gospels  we  have  seen  our  Lord  first  predicting  the 


242 


The  Church  presenting,        [chap. 


IDfsirablencBS 
of  consulting 
tlie  (ffpiBtlrs 
ns  iatll  as  tf)e 
©ospcls  ano 
the  acts,  on 
the  subject 
unticr 
(onsiliciatian. 


53oBStbIf 
allusion,  in 
tfie  term 
'(liiurd)  of 
ttic  titiins 
ffiioti,'  to  tl)e 
iOol  in  the 
OFpheaian 
temple. 


Support  of 
tiie  CTrutl), 
one  notion 
DiclSft)  bg 
t'i)e  toortj " 
'pillar.' 


Church,  and  tlien,  subsequently  to  His  Eesurrec- 
tion,  tracing  the  outlines  of  the  Institution.  In 
the  Acts  we  have  seen  the  actual  building  of  it 
by  the  ministry  of  the  Apostle  Peter,  and  the 
actual  exercise  of  its  powers  in  Council.  We  now 
come  further  down  in  the  Canon  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament, to  consider  a  brief  but  pregnant  descrip- 
tion of  the  Church  given  us  in  the  Epistles  of  St. 
Paul.  Thus  we  shall  be  gathering  up  instruction 
on  our  subject  from  each  great  division  of  the 
New  Testament. 

"  The  Church  of  the  living  God."     The  Apostle 
had  just  called  the  Church  the  House  of  God. 
And  it  is  probable  that,  in  using  the  term  "  liv- 
ing," he  had  in  his  thoughts  the  great  temple 
at  Ephesus  (of  which  city  Timothy  was  P'"-hop), 
which  was  the  house  of  a  dead  god,  containing, 
as    it   did,  the   "  image "   of  the   many-breasted 
Diana,  "  which  fell  down  from  Jupiter,"  in  the    i 
midst  of  which  there  was  no  breath  at  all,  '     "      *^ 
could  neither  see,  nor  hear,  nor  eat,  nor  sm    r 
"  The   pillar   and   ground"    (more  properly,   the  } 
pedestal  or  basement)  "of  the  truth."  There  is  '" 
very  probably  a  twofold  allusion — one,  as  DCiOiv   V^ 
to  the  temples  of  heathen  gods,  which  had  grand 
columns  supporting  their  pediments,  and  pedestals 
or  bases  at  the  foot  of  the  columns.     Pillars  are 
the  stay  of  a  building.     When  Samson  pushc' 
down  tlie  two  middle  pillars  on  which  Dagon's 
house  stood,  the  house  fell  and  became  a  heap  of 
ruins.     If  such  is  the  allusion,  the  Church  is  here 
exhibited  as  supportinfj  and  iqjholding  God's  Truth. 
But  the  Apostle  being  a  Jew,  and  his  mind  imbued 


VIII.]   exhibiting,  defending  the  Truth.    243 

with  Old  Testament  imagery,  it  is  probable  that 
tlie  words  have  another  reference,  which  yields  a 
diflereiit  idea.  He  may  have  mentally  compared 
the  Church  to  "  the  pillar  of  fire  and  of  the  cloud,"  (Bmunntcanti 
which  God  took  not  away  from  before  the  people  nsccoua 
iu  their  journeying  through  the  wilderness.  If 
such  is  the  reference,  the  Church  is  here  exhibited 
under  a  distinct  aspect,  not  as  maintaining  Truth, 
but  OS  (juiding  into  it  and  illustratinrj  it.  For  the 
l)illar  was  both  a  guiding  column,  and  an  illumi- 
nating column.  "  And  the  Lord,"  we  read,  "  went 
before  them  by  day  in  a  pillar  of  cloud,  to  lead 
them  the  way ;  and  by  night  in  a  pillar  of  fire,  to 
give  them  light."  We  will  consider  the  phrase 
"pillar  and  pedestal  of  the  truth"  as  conveying 
both  these  ideas, — maintenance  and  support  of 
truth,  in  the  first  place,  guidance  into  truth,  and 
illustration  of  it,  in  the  second.  The  latter  aspect 
'of  the  Church's  functions  will  be  considered  in  the 
Chapter. 

The  lirst   function  which    the  Church   has  to  sriim  u(f- 
^nlfil  towards  the  Truth  is  that  of  ui)holding  and  i"miud)°ti'f 
-ovting  ii.    And  this  the  Church  does  in  three  HpMVstijt 
>va}-s  :  by  way  of  presentation  and  recommenda-  '''^"'^" 
tion ;  by  way  of  exhibition ;  and  by  way  of  de- 
fence. 

\st,  By  way  of  presentation  and  recommenda-  i5v\irtscnia- 
lion.  To  the  Jews  of  old,  descended  lineally  rccommcnua- 
from  Abraham,  and  sealed  with  the  seal  of 
God's  Covenant  in  Circumcision,  "were  com- rht Sftoisf) 
mitted  the  oracles  of  God,"  the  books  of  the  hiirusttji 
Old  Testament.  And  similarly  to  the  Christian  crmmcnt.'' 
Church,    descended   in    a    right    line   from   the 


244 


The  C/mrch  presenting,        [chap. 


tilt  Cliriatian 
ffif)urcf)  toiti) 


tf)e  appoints 
keeper  of 
SolH  eJErit. 


analosH 
tetfaten  tfte 
^istorg  of  Hjc 
toorlB  s.v.'a 
tl3atoftl)e 
intjibiUual, 
in  tijat  ttie 
Ciiurcl)  iiiass 
iefoK  tije 
JBibIc  in  tije 
faorlti'a 
tiatorg. 


Apostles  by  successive  incorporations  into  the 
Society  which  they  (under  Christ)  founded,  and 
brought  into  the  pale  of  God's  Covenant  by  the 
Sacrament  of  Baptism,  is  committed  that  still 
more  sacred  and  precious  deposit,  the  volume  of 
the  New  Testament.  The  Church,  Jewish  or 
Christian,  is  the  custodian  of  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
and  her  office  is  to  put  those  Scriptures  into  the 
hands  of  her  children,  as  soon  as  they  are  able  to 
understand  them.  We  observe  here  an  analogy 
between  the  history  of  the  world ^  and  that  of  the 
individual  soul.  The  Church  was  before  the 
Bible  in  the  history  of  the  world.  Abel,  Noah, 
Abraham,  and  Jacob  belonged  to  the  people  of 
God,  and  lived  in  the  faith  of  God's  promise  be- 
fore there  was  any  written  Scripture  at  all ;  for. 


Crtie  gpofeftt 
ttJaort  must 
exist  before 
tfte  (lijurcij, 
tJiougb  tijt 
Cijurcb 
existed  before 
ti]e  torittcn 


^  It  is  important  to  observe  that  this  analogy  only  holds 
good  of  the  Bible  (or  luritten  Truth),  not  of  those  unicritten 
words  of  God  which  were  handed  down  orally.  In  the  his- 
tory of  the  individual,  the  Church  must  always  be  before  the 
Word.  The  young  child  of  one  of  the  twelve  Pati-iarchs 
must  have  received  from  its  mother  the  great  promise  of 
the  Seed  of  the  woman,  and  the  promises  made  to  Abra- 
ham. The  young  child  bom  of  Christian  Parents  shortly 
after  the  day  of  Pentecost,  must  have  received  from  its 
mother  the  brief  summary  of  doctrine,  which  represented 
the  belief  of  the  first  disciples.  Thus,  m  the  order  of  the 
child's   experience,  the    mother   was    before   the    unwritten 

"Word.       But  IN  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  WORLD,  THE  UNWRITTEN 

Word  of  God  must  of  course  be  before  the  Church. 
For  what  is  a  Church  (in  the  wider  sense  of  the  word)  but 
a  group  of  believers  in  God's  Word  ?  And  before  the  Word 
is  spoken,  how  can  there  be  believers  in  it  ?  "  Faith  cometh 
by  hearing,  and  hearing  by  the  word  of  God."  Therefore 
the  Word  of  God  must  be  before  faith.  It  is  only  of  the 
Bible,  or  written  volume  of  God's  oracles,  assuredly  not  of 
God's  spoken  Word,  that  we  assert  it  to  have  been  brought 
into  existence  later  than  the  Church. 


VIII.]   cxJiibiting,  defending  the  Truth.    245 

so  far  as  we  know,  Closes  was  the  earliest  Scrip- 
tural writer.     And  in  the  same  way,  there  was  a 
(Jliristian    Church, — ay,    and    Christian  martyrs, 
and  Christian  minister.s,  and  Christian  teaching, — 
before  a  line  of  the  New  Testament  was  written, 
much  more  before  it  was  published  and  thoroughly 
circulated.     And  just  so  it  is  in  the  history  of  the  anuihntto 
individual.     He  necessarily  becomes  acquainted  a  is  % '""" 
with  the  Church  before  he  becomes  acquainted  SnttJ" 
with  the  Bible, — it  is  the  natural  order  of  things.    ^'°^' 
Some  one  must  put  the  Bible  in  our  hands,  tell 
us  what  it  professes  to  be,  and  invite  us  to  read  it. 
This  is  done,  in  the  first  instance,  by  our  parents,  (rbdstian 
who   are   for  us   the   earliest    Ministers   of  the  fif/'i^JufcVe 
Church,  and  very  often  INIinisters  whose  instruc-  ^l^^tL 
tion  is  more  effective  than  any  we  meet  with  in 
after  life.     The  mother  teaches  her  child  to  kneel 
down  at  her  knees,  and  puts  words  of  prayer  in 
his  mouth,  and  tells  him  about  God  and  Jesus. 
And  what  is  this  but  the  very  same  thing  which, 
on  a  scale  adapted  to  the  enlarged  capacities  of 
the  adult,  is  done  by  Ministers  of  the  Church  as 
part  of  their  ministry  ?     Is  not  this  a  very  fair 
summary  of  our  office  as  Ministers,  to  announce 
to  people  the  glorious  message  of  the  Gospel,  and 
by  that  means  bring  them  to  their  knees  in  right 
earnest  ?     And  if  it  should  suggest  itself  to  any, 
that  mothers,  whatever  be  the  obligations  under 
wliich  they  are  laid  by  natural  afi'ection,  are  not  sponsors  art 
oflicially  ministers  of  the  Cluirch,  let  it  be  remem-  aiip"anfnot 
bered  that  sponsors  arc  officially  charged  to  see  nlturaf 
that  each  child  admitted  to  Church-membership  S'tSaTlad, 
is  brouglit  up  in  a  knowledge  of  the  rudiments  of  fnsuumon'm 

ttje  (ZTtult). 


246  The  C/nirch  present  if  ig,        [chap. 

the  Faith,  and  to  lead  a  godly  and  a  Christian  life  ; 
so  that  in  theory,  at  all  events,  the  Divine  Society 
of  the  Church  lays  hold  of  the  youngest  children, 
and  makes  provision  for  their  having  the  Truth 
taught  them,  as  soon  as  consciousness  begins  to 
dawn.     Nay,  long  before  consciousness  begins  to 
dawn,  the  Divine  Society  lays  holds  of  them,  con- 
secrating them  in  Baptism  to  the  service  of  its 
Founder,  and  thus  making  them  the  subjects  of  a 
great  Church  ministry,  and  of  an   operation   of 
Divine  grace,  before  they  can  possibly  know  that 
there  is  a  Bible.     If,  then,  God's  written  AVord  is 
deposited  with  the  Cliurch,  and  she  is  solemnly 
It  is  t5)t        bound  to  place  tliis  written  Word  in  the  hands  of 
tjSTctmnb  to  lier  children  and  commend  it  to  them,  and  in  their 
Icd^jture  m    youth  to  train  them  in  the  rudiments  of  it,  most 
tin  ^iiuu-nf   appropriately  is  she  called  "  the  pillar  and  ground 
■"untfon  to"  »i'  the  truth  ;"— it  is  her  witness  to  the  written 
''*  Truth  which  leads,  in  the  first  instance,  to  our 

receiving  it. 

criir  fffjurrfi        Again ;  the  Church  maintains  and  upholds  the 

Srutiffig       truth  hy  way  of  exhibition.     She  embodies  it  in 

".   I'wn  0     j^g^  system  of  worship,  and  thus  makes  it  visible 

to  the  eye.    "  0  foolish  Galatiaus,"  writes  St.  Paul, 

"  who  hath  bewitched  you,  that  ye  should  not 

obey  the  truth,  before  whose  eyes  Jesus  Christ 

hath  been  evidently  set  forth,  crucified  among 

cHje  principle  you."     We  are  so  much  under  the  dominion  of 

on  tatikrthis  sense,  and  the  things  we  see  make  so  far  more 

SaiiVio'tt)*^    lively  an  impression  on  us  than  the  things  we 

'^■''  only  hear,  that  God  has  provided,  by  the  Ministry 

of  His  Church,  for  the  exhibition  to  the  eye  of  the 

greater  Gospel  truths.     He  has  not  only  sent  us  a 


VIII.]    exhibiting,  defending  the  Truth.    247 

messa<Te,  but  ordained  Sacraments  Avhich  embody 
the  cliief  features  of  the  message.     Thus  Ba])tism  rrutha 

.    .         ,       ,  .  ,  ,       rrprrGcnttlJ  m 

represents  our  need  of  spnitual  cleansing  by  the  CapuBm, 
Blood  and  Grace  of  Christ  (.a  fundamental  truth 
of  our  Religion) ;  our  death  unto  sin  in  Christ, 
our  burial  with  Christ,  our  resurrection  with  Him 
unto  newness  of  life  (the  body  of  the  baptized, 
in  the  primitive  form  of  administration,  being 
plunged  beneath  the  water,  and,  after  a  moment 
of  suspended  animation,  lifted  out  of  it  again); 
and  in  short  our  new  creation  in  Christ,  brought 
about  (as  the  first  creation  was),  by  "  the  Spirit 
of  God  moving  upon  the  face   of  the  waters." 
The  Holy  Communion  represents  the  bruising  of  nnti  in  \Mt 
Christ's  Body,  and  the  shedding  of  His  precious  ^uppn. 
Blood  for  us,  and  the  necessity  of  feeding  upon 
this  Body  and  Blood   by  faith,  in  order  to  the 
maintenance  of  that  spiritual  life,  which  is  com- 
municated  in   Baptism.      See   how   many   vital 
truths   are   by   these   two    Sacraments   compen- 
diously exhibited  to  the  eye, — our  natural  defile- 
ment and  need  of  cleansing  ;  the  purifying  efficacy 
of  Christ's  Blood  and  Spirit ;    Christ's  vicarious 
suffering,  death,  burial,  resurrection  ;  our  partici- 
pation in  His  sufferings,  and  in  His  acceptance, 
by  faith ;    the  need  of  constant  sustenance   for 
the  spiritual  life  ;  that  sustenance  only  to  be  had 
by  feeding  spiritually  on  His  Body  and   Blood, 
etc.     I  say  the  Sacraments  rqncsent  these  truths  ;  jrfie  rtptr- 
not,   did   once   represent    them.      In   order   to   a  f.binlj'anii" 
perpetual  representation  you  must  have  a  present  mnkino  r'' 
and  living  Church,  in  which,  or   "  among "   the  {gS?"  "^ 
members  of  which,  the  representation  shall  be  ">^"""'*^ 


SEIje  Bgm- 


248  The  Ckicrch  presenting,       [chap. 

made.  If  Christ  liad  founded  no  Church,  or  if 
the  Church  He  founded  had  been  designed  to  pass 
away  with  the  early  believers  who  were  the  first 
members  of  it,  the  accounts  of  the  Institution  of 
Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper  might  be  regarded 
as  curious  pieces  of  ancient  sacred  history,  having 
little  more  than  a  literary  and  antiquarian  interest 
for  us.  But  the  living  Church  proclaims  aloud  ; 
"  Here  are  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper  alive 
at  present,  their  natural  force  nothing  abated' 
since  the  Lord  instituted  them.  Here  they  are 
under  your  eyes  ;  and  the  union  with  Christ  in 
His  death,  which  both  of  them  teach  and  convey, 
is  as  necessary  for  you,  and  as  freely  offered  to 
you,  as  it  was  necessary  for  and  offered  to  the 
earliest  believers."     And  so  with  other  and  lower 


39ufaiTc  °^  T^itQQ  ;  for  the  whole  system  of  the  Church's  wor- 
loXma-  s^ip  ^^^^  more  or  less  of  a  sacramental  character. 
fibBoiutfon  ^^^  ordinary  offices  express  the  truth  that  He  is 
"  in  the  midst  of  the  two  or  three  gathered  together 
in  His  Name"  (the  human  presence  in  the  con- 
gregation being  the  symbol  of  His) ;  Confirmation 
exhibits  God's  fatherly  hand  extended  over  the 
baptized,  and  their  need  of  His  strengthening 
Grace ;  Absolution  is  a  visible  testimony  to  the 
great  truth  that  the  forgiveness  of  sins  through 
Christ's  Blood  travels  in  the  Church's  train  down 
the  stream  of  time,  like  the  smitten  rock  which 
followed  Israel  in  the  wilderness.  And  all  of 
these  are  living  powers  in  the  Church,  disen- 
tangled indeed  from  the  miraculous  element, 
which  attended  them  at  their  first  appearance, 
but  still  efficacious  in  the  spiritual  world,  and 


VIII.]    cxJiibiting,  dcfoiding  tJie  TnitJi.    249 

conveying  what  tlicy  represent  to  every  prepared 
and  laithfiil  heart.     If  you  desire  to  learn  the 
Trutli,  it  might   be  ascertained   from   a  careful 
analysis  of  these  rites,  which  embody  and  repre- 
sent it.     You  might  ask  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  for 
example, "  What  meaneth  this  service?  what  is  its 
history  ?  how  did  it  take  its  rise  ?  what  truth  is  ipossibiiifn 
it  designed  to  convey  ?"    And  if  this  last  question  Vcmtblja 
were  fully  and  faithfully  answered,  you  would  of  tt"  h^fa^ 
gather  from  the  answer  the  whole  doctrine  of  the  """"^"-'"s  «• 
Gospel,  which  is  all  comprehended  briefly  in  this 
one  Ordinance. 

Lastly,  the  Church  upholds  the  Truth  in  the  way  rijc  cfmrcb 
of  vindication  and  defence.     The  early  Creeds  or  S?u"f  JJ^  '^' 
Confessions  of  Faith  were  very  simple  and  very  nn"i?l,?flnti* 
brief.     But  as  new  heresies  and  forms  of  error '"^''' 
developed  themselves,  the  Church,  having  been  "cfcssitnttii 
solennily  intrusted  with  the  guardianship  of  theofrnriu 
laith,  was  compelled  to  niake   new  definitions, 
tliereby  considerably  enlarging  the  bulk  of  her 
Creeds.    If  any  one  should  think  these  definitions 
dry,  hard,  wanting  in  interest  at  best,  and  in  some 
instances  repulsive,  svirely  he  may  be  reminded 
usefully   of    their   defensive   character.     A   man 
thrown  on  the  defensive  is  not  perhaps  in  the 
most  pleasing  attitude  in  which  he  can  be  placed, 
nor  are  his  words  and  actions  at  that  moment 
attractive.     A  city  must  have  a  girdle  of  fortifica-  inscfuincBo 
tions,  lest  it  should  fall  an  easy  prey  to  an  in- of  fomfica- " 
vader, — it  must  have  its  arsenal,  in  which  are  toujcirr  uttu 
ranged  side  by  side  guns  and  pikes,  and  in  whose  map'tf.     '' 
vaults  are  stored  up  combustible  and  explosive 
materials.     Fortifications  are  in  many  respects  an 


250  The  Chu7'ch  p7'esenting,       [chap. 

inconvenience ;  they  are  certainly  not  as  pictur- 
esque or  as  agreeable  as  parks  and  pleasure- 
grounds,  nor  are  piled  arms  as  pleasant  to  look 
upon  as  beautiful  waving  trees,  white  with  blossom, 
or  laden  with  fruit; — any  one  can  make  such 
comments  as  these,  but  it  is  somewhat  weak  to 
make  them,  if  we  want  the  fortifications  and  arms 
for  defence.  If  wc  want  ihcm,  they  must  he  had. 
Doubtless  it  would  be  far  more  delightful  to  live 
without  controversy,  and  never  to  be  under  the 
necessity  of  protesting  against  error ;  but  how  if 
error  will  raise  its  head,  will  insinuate  itself  into 
the  minds  of  the  weak  and  wavering,  and  rob 
5riie  cinirrfi    Christ  of  the  souls  which  are  His  purchase  ?    Is  the 


tooLif  brttan  Church,  which  is  set  by  God  in  the  earth  to  be 


lift  trust,  if 


not  ncamsf  "  *^^®  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth,"  to  make  no 
tetcBicB.        remonstrance,  no  protest,  while  this  is  going  on 
under  her  eyes  ?    Is  the  pillar  of  the  truth  to  give 
way,  when  what  it  was  designed   to  uphold  is 
attacked  ?     So  thought  not  our  forefathers  in  the 
Faith  in  earlier  and   purer  times.     As  heresies 
showed  their  head,  the  Church  condemned  them, 
and  added  the  definition  of  the  Faith  so  necessi- 
tated to  her  existing  formularies.     And  I  cannot 
help  observing  that  these  definitions  have  far  more 
than  a  defensive  value, — that  they  tend  wonder- 
ffiearnf89Bf  f^lly  to  clear  the  minds  of  believers  on  the  sub- 
Sbjcdsof     J6cts    of  which    they  treat.      Let   me   give   one 
fli^n'tobicf)     instance  before  passing  on.     Many  persons  think 
S"'am    of  Christ  as  a  demi-god,  half  God  and  half  man,— 
SfiSiona!^  almost  as  of  a  man  apotheosized  and  raised  to  the 
skies,  as  having  been  the  greatest  benefactor  of 
the  human  race.     All  this  is  heathenish,  false,  and 


VIII.]    exhibiting,  defending  the  Tnith.    251 

unscriptural.     Christ  is  perfect  Cod,  and  also  at 
tlie  same  time  perfect  man,  but  without  any  con- 
fusion or  mixture  of  tlie  two  natures.     The  two  jrtifiifCnittoi 
natures  remain  in  their  distinctness,  thougli  united  nauirfs  imtj 
indissoluhly  in   the  single  Person  of  the  Son  of  ?n  €i?ri"!"n 
God,  just  as  mind  and  body  are  perfectly  distinct,  ttfar""^ 
though  united  indissolubly  in  one  man.     It  was 
not  our  Lord's  Godhead  which  suffered,  or  died,  or 
wept,  or  agonized.     On  the  other  hand,  it  was  not 
our  Lord's  manhood  which  said  on  the  edge  of  the 
grave,  "  Lazarus,  come  forth  ;"  or  from  the  seat  of 
the  Cross ;  "  Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  To-day  shalfc 
thou   be  with    me   in   paradise ;"    nor  is  it  His 
manhood  of  which  it  is  written  ;  "  The  Word  was 
in  the  beginning  with    God.      All   things  were 
made  by  him ;   and  without  him  was  not  any- 
thing made  that  was  made."     Christ  is  wholly 
and  distinctly  man,  and  wholly  and  distinctly  God. 
There  is  not  a  sympathy  of  our  nature,  nor  an 
attribute  of  God's  nature,  which  He  lacks  ;  for 
which  reason  He   is   both   infinitelj'-  tender  and  njcipfuincE* 
infinitely  strong. — Now,  I  ask  whether  this  de-  tjccnltion. 
finition  of  the  Faith  is  not  a  little  helpful   in 
clearing  the   mind   on   the   subject  with  which 
it  professes  to  deal?     And  if  it  be  helpful  and 
valuable,  I  then  ask  further  from  what  source  the 
definition  was  obtained  ?     Whence  do  these  words  Eta  sourtf. 
come  ? — "  Perfect  God  and    perfect  ^lan."   .    .    .  asum  cms. 
"  He  is  not  two,  but  one  Christ,  .  .  .  One  alto- 
gether; not  by  confusion  of  Substance:   but  by 
unity  of  Person.     For  as  the  reasonable  soul  and 
flesh  is  one  man"  (as  mind  is  one  thing,  and  body  a 
distinct  thing,  thougli  both  go  to  make  up  one 


2^2 


TJie  Church  presenting,       [chap. 


Crcrts,  in 
tlidr  ortgiti, 
bjcrt  not 
tcfcnsifaf. 
Ikforc  i\)txt 
fajas  a 
Scripture, 
lIuTc  toas  a 
(Trutl). 


5rruH)  toas  in 

^patnarcijal 

tunes. 


flFarliest 
gtjapc  in 
toijicb  tbe 
iffrutb 
appearelj  in 

Keatanifnt 
timra. 


man),  "so  God  and  Man  is  one  Christ."  They 
come  from  an  elaborate  Confession  of  Faith,  drawn 
up  probably  by  a  French  Bishop  in  the  earlier  half 
of  the  fifth  century,  and  expressing  the  general 
sense  of  the  Western  Church  in  his  time, — never, 
indeed,  received  by  the  whole  of  Christendom, 
as  the  Nicene  Creed  is,  but  received  by  our  own 
National  Church,  and  declared  by  her  to  be  prov- 
able "  by  most  certain  warrants  of  Holy  Scripture." 
I  have  spoken  of  Christian  Creeds  in  their  de- 
fensive aspect,  and  have  explained  that  the  reason 
why  they  grew  in  bulk  was  that  the  Church  was 
thrown  from  time  to  time  on  the  defensive  against 
heretics,  and  obliged  to  fortify  herself  by  new 
definitions.  But  let  it  be  remembered  that  the 
Creeds  were  not  defensive  at  the  outset  of  their 
history;  in  their  germ  and  nucleus  they  did  not 
partake  of  this  character.  The  Church  always 
had  a  Faith  and  a  Truth  to  guard,  though  there 
was  a  time  when  she  had  no  Scripture.  Adam, 
and  Abel,  and  Enoch,  and  Abraham  had  a  Faith, 
and  were  possessed  of  a  Truth,  long  ages  before 
the  Law  was  written.  They  had  God's  promise 
of  the  Seed  of  the  woman,  handed  down  by  oral 
tradition ;  that  was  their  Faith  and  their  Truth. 
They  looked  for  a  city  which  had  foundations, 
whose  builder  and  maker  is  God ;  that  was  their 
hope.  And  similarly  St.  Stephen  had  a  New 
Testament  Faith,  and  a  New  Testament  Truth, 
and  died  in  the  full  sunshine  of  New  Testa- 
ment hope,  though  not  a  line  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment was  written  in  his  days.  And  what  does 
St.  Paul  mean  by  the  Truth,  when  he  calls  tlie 


VIII.]    exhibiting,  defending  tJic  Tnitli.   253 

Church  its  pillar  and  ground  ?     I  have  applied 
his  words  witliout  hesitation  to  the  Gospel,  as  con- 
tained in  the  volume  of  the  New  Testament,  be- 
cause to  U8,  who  live  since  it  has  been  written, 
this  volume  is  God's  Truth,  and  because  the  Holy 
Spirit,  who  inspired  St.  Paul,  wrote,  no  doubt,  in 
the  foresight  of  the  New  Testament,  and  adapted 
his  language  to  the  circumstances  and  needs  of  the 
modern,  as  well  as  of  the  ancient.  Church.     But 
as  the  volume  of  the  New  Testament  was  certainly 
not  compiled,  and  a  large  part  of  it  not  written, 
when  St.  Paul  addressed  his  first  letter  to  Timothy, 
he  clearly  could  not  have  been  thinking  of  the 
New  Testament,  wdien  he  spoke  of  tlie  Truth.    No  ;  sjufiat  st. 
he  meant  the  Gospel  Pievelation,  the  few  salient  b/"tir""^ 
features  of  which  were  embodied  even  at  that  tiirpassnge 
early  date  in  a  Creed  or  Confession  of  Faith,  which  aiictatiSn! 
the  Apostle   calls   elsewhere   "a,  form  of  sound 
words."     This  Truth  or   Eevelation  was,  as   he 
here  calls  it,  a  "mystery  of  godliness."     The  per-  iiniofie 
sons  he  wrote  for  knew  well  what  "mysteries  of  riuih'  'tftt 
ungodliness"  were;  for  there  were  several  such  aobiincgg,' 
mysteries,  which  formed  a  part  of  the  old  Pagan 
religions.     jNIysteries  were  certain  sacred  rites,  in 
which  (as  they  say  is  the  case  in  Freemasonry)  a 
traditional  secret  was  divulged  to  the  initiated, 
and  made  the  nucleus  and  centre  of  a  'form  of 
worship.     Some  of  the  rites  connected  with  this 
worship   were   horribly   impure   and   cruel;   the 
heathen  mysteries  were  "  mysteries  of  ungodli- 
ness."    But  God's  Revelation  in  Christ,  the  mag-  (rontrast 
nificent   secret   into   which   the    Church    indoc-  mrs"rq  of ' 
trinates  mankind,  the  secret  of  redeeming  love  aim  heathen 

mgaUncs. 


254  '^^^^  CJui7^cJi presenting,       [chap. 

and  grace,  the  secret  of  the  Atonement  and  its 
allied  truths,  which  also  is  the  centre  and  nucleus 
of  the  Church's  whole  system  of  worship,  is  a 
"  mystery  of  godliness ;"  that  is,  a  secret  which, 
really  imbibed  by  the  inner  man,  produces  the 
CTfif  mostcnj  IVuit  of  godlincss.  And  the  Apostle  proceeds  to 
a  fragment  of  give  the  mystcry  m  the  express  terms  m 
erre?5.^  which  the  Church  had  received  it.  "  God  was 
manifest  in  the  flesh,  justified  in  the  spirit,  seen 
of  angels,  preached  unto  the  Gentiles,  believed  on 
in  the  world,  received  up  into  glory," — this  is 
obviously  a  fragment  of  some  early  Confession  of 
Faith,  some  dogmatic  statement  of  the  Truth, 
with  which  Timothy  was  familiar,  and  which  was 
recited  in  meetings  of  the  Church,  and  handed 
down  as  a  "  form  of  sound  words."  "  The  truth  " 
in  this  instance  (hear  it  all  ye  who,  while  you 
profess  a  love  for  the  Holy  Scriptures,  freely  evince 
a  dislike  of  dogmatic  statements),  "the  truth"  in 
the  present  instance,  which  St.  Paul  dignifies  by 
calling  it  the  "  great  "  (or  magnificent)  "  mystery 
of  godliness,"  was  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a 
Creed.^ 


iHctrical  ^  In  all  probability  it  is  also  a  Hymn;  for  it  is  manifestly 

rjaracterof  metrical  in  its  construction,  the  first  and  second  lines  cor- 

gummarjo!  responding  to  one  another,  as  also  the  fourth  and  fiftli.     In 

anS  tlie  ii'clit  all    probability,  therefore,   the  sixth  corresponds  with  the 


tijroton  on  its 


third. 


mrnnms  bg  a  1.     o?  ((bavepaidr]  ev  aaoKi, 

metrical  o  't-s^         '  /j      >  ' 

arranccnunt  -    EStKoiw^r,  ev  irvevixaTi, 

of  it.  3.  "V.(^6r]  dyyeXois, 

4.  ^EKrjpvxdrj  iv  i'6vf(Tiv, 

5.  'jLTTLCTTfvdri   iV   KCXTfXO), 

C.  ^ AvfXriCJidr]  iv  ho^rj. 

I  cannot  but  think  that  this  arrangement  throws  light  upon 
the  meanmg  of  ver.  3.     The  correspondence  of  vers.  1  and 


VIII.]   cxJiibiiing,  defending  tJic  Truth.    255 

And  what  a  precious  Creed,  with  its  statements  comprriitn- 
of  the  incarnation,  the  justification  of  Christ  (in-  fh^rshott" 
volving   also   our   justification  in  Him),  by  the  BummarB. 
solemn  testimony  which,  on   various   occasions, 
the  Spirit  made  to  Him,  the  angelic  acknowledg- 
ment  and    adoration    of    Christ,   the    universal 
mission   of  the   Gospel  to   every  creature,   the 
reception  of  the  Gospel  in  the  world  Ly  simple 
faith,  and  His  ascension  into  heaven  !     I  would  a  triumpfj 
rather  regard  it  as  a  song  of  triumph  put   by  iiian  n 
God  into  our  mouths,  than  as  the  bastions  of  a  ""^ ' 
fortification,   which   girdles   round    the    city    of 
God.     If  we  regard  the   Creeds  (and  surely  we 
may  do  so)  as  being  brief  summaries  of  God's 
nlorious  Eevelation  to  man,  jubilation  and  not  Subiiant 

,.,,.„  ,,.,         aspect  of  tf)t 

controversy  becomes  their  leading  feature.    \\  hen  christian 
we   regard  the  Athanasian  Creed  as  the  Hymn  man  ladi 
"  Quicunque  vult " — a  joyous  exposition  of  the 
truths  which  go  to  make  up  our  faith, — what  a  dif- 
ferent aspect  does  it  assume  !    Its  defiant  tones,  if 
they  still  exist,  are  drowned  in  its  tones  of  Chris-  sroton  in 
tian  exultation — "  it  is  not  the  voice  of  them  that  toiicn  toe  u'st 

thrm,  their 

polrmical 
2,  as  al?o  of  vers.  4  and  5,  is  marked.  "  God  was  inani-  "ssociationg. 
fested  in  the  flesh  "  (amidst  all  the  weaknesses  and  humilia- 
tions which  "  flesh"  involves),  yet  "  jiistitied  iu  the  Spirit" 
(at  His  Baptism,  by  His  miracles,  by  His  Resurrection,  and 
by  the  Spirit's  testimony  to  Him  after  Pentecost).  He  was 
"  preached  unto  the  Gentiles,"  and  (as  the  marvellous  residt 
of  such  preacliinji)  "believed  on  in  the  world."  Now,  may 
we  not  suppose  from  Psalm  xxiv.  (part  of  which  seems  to 
bo  the  utterance  of  Angels,  escorting  Christ  back  to  Heaven), 
that  at  the  Ascension  there  was  some  general  act  of  homage 
paid  to  our  Lord  by  the  Angels; — "Seen  of  Angels,"  and 
then  (after  He  had  received  the  tribute  of  their  homage) 
"received  up  into  glory,"  "angels  and  authorities  and 
powers  being  made  subject  unto  Him"  ? 


256  Catechism.  [ciiAr. 

shout  for  mastery  .  .  .  but  the  noise  of  them  that 
sing  do  I  hear."    The  recital  of  a  Creed  is  in  fact, 
under  this  view,  the  highest  of  all  acts  of  praise. 
And  in  order  to  give  effect  and  expression  to  this 
ffircriisarc     vicw,  the  Crceds  should  beyond  all  question  be 
lijan'saijj!^     sung.     Three  out  of  our  four  Creed  Eubrics  pre- 
scribe that  they  shall  be  "  sung  or  said,"  as  if 
singing  here  were  to  have  the  preference  over  say- 
ing.    Oh  that  it  might  be  so  throughout  every 
parish  in  the  land !  and  oh  that  the  heart  of  every 
one  who  sings  might  rejoice  secretly  in  hope  of 
the  glory  of  God,  being  justified  (as  we  can  only 
be  justified)  by  the  faith  which  we  then  profess, 
'  and  in  the  exercise  of  that  faith  having  "peace 

with  God   through   our   Lord   Jesus    Christ,  by 
whom  we  have  now  received  the  atonement!" 


Cat^rhism  mt  aTha^j.  13iii. 

1.  Question. — What  subject  was  touched  upon  in  your 
last  examination,  which  requires  to  be  more  clearly 
and  exactly  defined  ? 

Ansiver. — The  relations  which  subsist  between  the 
Church  of  God  and  the  Truth  of  God. 

2.  Question. — From  what  passage  of  Holy  Scripture 
is  it  proposed  to  gather  these  relations  ? 

Answer. — From  St.  Paul's  definition  of  the  Church 
as  "the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth"  (1  Tim.  iii. 
15). 

3.  Question. — Is  there  any  incidental  advantage  in 
taking  the  passage  which  we  are  to  study  for  in- 
formation on  this  great  subject  from  the  Epistles  ? 

Ansiver. — Yes  ;  because  thus  we  embrace,  in  the 
consideration  of  our  subject,  another  great  division  of 


VIII.]  CatccJiism.  257 

the  New  Testament.  In  tlie  Gosi^ch  we  have  seen  our 
Lord  predicting  the  Churcli  dvu'ing  His  life,  and,  after 
His  Resurrection,  tracing  the  foundations  of  it.  In  the 
Acts  we  have  seen  the  Church's  superstructure  rising 
under  the  ministry  of  St.  Peter,  and  her  legislative  and 
judicial  powers  put  forth  in  the  first  Council.  We  turn 
now  to  the  Ejtii^tJes  for  an  exact  definition  of  the  rela- 
tion in  which  the  Church  stands  to  God's  Truth. 

4.  Question. — To  what  does  the  Apostle  probably 
allude,  when,  after  calling  the  Church  "  the  hotise 
of  God,"  he  then  adds  that  it  is  "  the  Church  of 
the  living  God  ?" 

Ansioer. — As  he  is  writing  to  Timothy,  who  was 
Bishop  of  Ephesus,  it  is  very  probable  that  he  is 
alluding  to  the  celebrated  temple  of  Diana  at  Ephesus, 
of  which  mention  is  made  in  Acts  xix.  27,  and  which, 
containing  as  it  did  "  the  image  which  fell  down  from 
Jupiter "  (see  Acts  xix.  35),  a  many-breasted  idol 
placed  upright  on  a  rude  block,  was  the  house  of  a  dead 
God,  in  which  there  was  no  breath  at  all. 

5.  Question. — In  the  expression  "pillar  and  ground 
of  the  truth,"  what  is  the  exact  meaning  of  the 
word  "ground  "  ? 

Answer. — It  means  the  pedestal  (or  base)  of  a 
column. 

C.   Question. — "What  is  the  first  idea  which  we  obtain 

from  the  words  "  the  pillar  and  ground  of  the 

truth  ?  " 

Answer. — That   of  support.     The   Church  supports 

the  truth  as  a  pillar  supports  a  pediment  or  roof,  and 

as  a  pedestal  supports  a  pillar. 

7.   Question. — Where  in  Bible  history  do  you  read  of 

pillars  acting  as  a  support  to  the  building  ? 

Answer. — In    Judges    xvi.,   where   we    are    told   of 

"  two  middle  pillars  upon  which  the  house  "  (of  Dagon) 

"stood,   and  on  which  it  was   borne  up;"    of  which 

pillars  when  Samson  "  took  hold,"  and  "  bowed  himself 

with  all  his  might,"  "the  house  fell  upon  the  lords,  and 

R 


258  Catechism.  [chap. 

upon  all  the  people  that  were  therein."     (See  ver.  29, 
30.) 

8,  Question.  But  is  it  probable  that  the  Apostle,  in 
calling  the  Church  "  the  pillar  and  ground  of  the 
truth,"  is  referring  to  some  particular  pillar,  of 
which  we  read  in  the  history  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment ? 

AnsLver. — Yes.  He  may  have  mentally  compared 
the  Church  to  "  the  pillar  of  fire  and  of  the  cloud," 
which  the  Lord  "took  not  away  from  before  the 
people  "  in  their  journeying  through  the  wilderness. 

9.  Question. — If  this  was  the  allusion  in  his  mind, 
what  two  ideas  does  this  pillar  of  fire  and  of  the 
cloud  give  ?  It  did  not  support  anything,  as  the 
pillar  of  a  building  does.  What  useful  offices  then 
did  it  perform  ? 

Ansiver. — That  of  guiding  the  people  by  day,  and 
illuminating  them  by  night.  For  we  read  in  Exod. 
xiii.  21,  "And  the  Lord  went  before  them  by  day  in  a 
pillar  of  a  cloud  to  had  them  the  ivay  ;  and  by  night  in 
a  pillar  of  fire  to  give  them  light ;  to  go  by  day  and 
night." 

10.  Catechist. — We  will  postpone  to  another  occasion 
the  consideration  of  these  two  ideas,  drawn  from 
"the  pillar  of  fire  and  of  the  cloud,"  and  confine 
ourselves  to  the  idea  of  the  Church's  supporting 
(or  maintaining)  the  Truth.  Tell  me  in  what  way 
she  does  this  ? 

Answer. — Chiefly  in  three  ways.  1st.  By  presenting 
and  recommending  the  Truth.  2dly.  By  exhibiting  (or 
representing)  it.     ^dly.  By  defending  it. 

11.  Question. — What  do  you  mean  by  the  Church's 
presenting  and  recommending  the  truth  ? 

Ansiver. — I  mean  that  as  soon  as  we  are  of  age  to 
understand  the  Scriptures  of  truth,  it  is' the  business  of 
the  Church  of  our  country,  from  which  in  our  infancy 
we  received  Baptism,  to  put  these  Scriptures  into  our 
hands,  and  earnestly  to  commend  them  to  our  perusal 
and  consideration. 


VIII.]  Catechisui.  259 

12.  Question. — Docs  our  Twentieth  Article  (0/  the 
authority  of  the  Church),  to  which  you  referred  in 
your  hist  examination,  notice  this  presentation  and 
recommendation  of  Holy  Scripture  as  one  of  the 
Church's  functions  ? 

Answer.— Yes.  It  speaks  of  the  Church  as  being 
"  a  witness  and  a  keeper  of  holy  Writ."  Holy  "Writ  is  a 
treasure  committed  to  her  custody  (or  "keeping"), 
that  she  may  hand  it  down  to  the  successive  genera- 
tions of  her  children ;  and  when  she  does  this,  she 
testifies  (or  bears  "witness")  to  these  books  that  they 
contain  "the  true  sayings  of  God,"  "given  by  inspiration 
of  God,"  and  written  by  "  holy  men  of  God,"  who 
"  spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  (See 
2  Tim.  iii.  16,  and  2  Pet.  i.  21.)  Thus  our  first 
acquaintance  with  Holy  Scripture  and  with  its  claims 
is  brought  about  by  the  Church. 

13.  Question. — Can  you  show  from  Holy  Scripture 
itself  that  the  Church  is  the  appointed  witness  and 
keeper  of  the  oracles  of  God  ^ 

Ansiuer.— This  is  expressly  stated  of  the  books  of 
the  Old  Testament  by  St.  Paul  (Rom.  iii.  1,  2). 
"  What  advantage  then  hath  the  Jew?  or  what  profit 
is  there  of  circumcision  ?  Much  every  way ;  chiefly, 
because  that  unto  them  ivere  committed  the  oracles  of 
God."  We  may  reasonably  argue  from  analogy  that 
the  books  of  the  New  Testament  are  committed  to  the 
Christian  Church,  just  as  those  of  the  Old  were  to  the 
Jewish  ;  though  indeed  this  is  implied  in  those  passages 
where  the  faith  is  spoken  of  as  a  deposit,  which  is  to 
be  kept  by  those  to  whom  it  is  handed  down,  and  with 
whom  it  is  lodged,  as  for  example ;  "  0  Timothy,  keep 
that  which  is  committed  to  thy  trust"  (1  Tim.  vi.  20); 
"  Hold  fast  the  form  of  sound  words  which  thou  hast 
heard  of  me,  in  faith  and  love  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus. 
That  good  thing  which  was  committed  unto  thee  keep 
by  the  Holy  Ghost  which  dwelleth  in  us  "  (2  Tim.  i. 
13,  14) ;  "  The  things  that  thou  hast  heard  of  me 
among  many  witnesses,  the  same  commit  thou  to  faithful 
men,  who  shall  be  able  to  teach  others  also  "  (2  Tim. 


26o  Catechism.  [chap. 

ii.  2).  And  the  same  thing  is  taught  in  the  passage 
before  us,  in  which  "the  truth,"  of  which  the  Church 
is  said  to  be  "  the  pillar  and  ground,"  is  evidently  the 
same  thing  with  "  the  mystery  of  godliness,"  that  is, 
with  the  leading  Articles  of  the  Christian  Faith. 

14.  Question. — In  what  shape,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
does  our  first  introduction  to  God's  Truth  come  to 
us? 

Answer. — It  comes  to  us. through  the  teaching  of  a 
mother,  who  makes  us  read  the  Bible  and  explains  it, 
and  teaches  us  about  God  and  Jesus,  and  puts  into  our 
mouth  words  of  prayer.  This  is  the  first  commence- 
ment of  the  religious  instruction,  which  we  obtain  from 
the  Church  of  our  country. 

15.  Catechist. — But  this  does  not  satisfy  me.  A  Chris- 
tian mother,  who  feels  that  the  truths  of  the  Bible 
ai-e  of  the  utmost  interest  and  importance,  will 
doubtless  teach  them  to  her  children  out  of  natural 
affection.  But  there  is  nothing  official  in  this 
teaching.  Nor  do  I  see  that  a  mother  can  strictly 
be  called  a  minister,  or  even  an  agent,  of  the 
Church,  though  she  may  (of  her  own  free  will)  act 
as  one.  I  think  you  should  show  that  provision  is 
actually  made  by  the  Church  for  the  sufficient 
religious  instruction  of  every  baptized  child,  inde- 
pendently of  those  ties  of  natural  affection,  which 
bind  parents  to  teach  their  children  the  truths 
necessary  to  salvation. 

Ansiver. — That  I  can  easily  do.  The  Church  takes 
such  care  for  the  religious  instruction  of  her  children 
that  she  appoints  three  agents  for  every  child,  called 
Godfathers  and  Godmothers,  to  whom  she  gives  this 
charge.  "  You  must  remember  that  it  is  your  parts 
and  duties  to  see  that  this  infant  be  taught,  so  soon  as 
he  shall  be  able  to  learn,  what  a  solemn  vow,  promise, 
and  profession  he  hath  here  made  by  you.  And  that 
he  may  know  these  things  the  better,  ye  shall  call  upon 
him  to  hear  sermons ;  and  chiefly  ye  shall  provide  that 
he  may  learn  the  Creed,  the  Lord's  Prayei',  and  the 


VIII.]  CatccJiisui.  261 

Ten  Oomniandments  in  the  vulgar  tongue,  and  all  other 
things  which  a  Christian  ought  to  know  and  believe  to 
his  soul's  health."  If  the  Church  were  to  give  this 
charge  to  the  parents,  and  make  thm  her  agents  for  the 
religious  instruction  of  the  child,  this  would  not  recog- 
nise with  sufficient  distinctness  the  great  difference 
between  the  family  of  nature,  to  which  the  child  belongs 
by  its  natural  birth,  and  that  of  grace,  into  which  it  is 
introduced  by  Holy  Baptism. 

17.  Catechist. — It  follows  from  what  you  have  said 
that  each  one  of  us  becomes  acquainted  with  the 
Church  before  he  becomes  acquainted  with  the 
Scripture.  Of  course  this  is  so.  The  first  thing 
we  become  conscious  of  is  the  persons  around  and 
about  us,  and  we  cannot  reach  any  truth  without 
their  instruction.  The  child  cannot  get  at  the 
Scriptures  without  a  mother's  teaching.  Can  you 
point  out  anything  in  the  world's  history  similar 
to  this  fact  in  the  history  of  the  individual  ? 

Answer. — Yes.  There  was  an  Old  Testament  Church 
in  the  world  before  there  was  an  Old  Testament,  and 
there  was  a  New  Testament  Church  in  the  world  before 
a  line  of  the  New  Testament  was  written. 

18.  Catechist. — Prove  this  to  me. 

Ansicer. — Moses  was  the  writer  of  the  earliest  books 
in  the  Bible  ;  but  there  was  a  Church  (or  family  of  God) 
before  Moses.  Abel  belonged  to  it,  and  Noah,  and 
Abraham,  and  Jacob.  And  even  if  it  should  not  be 
thought  strictly  correct  to  speak  of  Abel  and  Noah  as 
members  of  a  Church,  if  it  should  be  maintained  that 
there  was  no  Church  till  God  gave  to  Abraham  and  his 
seed  the  Sacrament  of  Circumcision,  or  none  until  the 
.children  of  Israel  were  led  through  the  Red  Sea,  which 
was  a  type  of  baptism  (see  1  Cor.  x.  1,  2),  the  same 
truth  will  hold  good.  Abraham  lived  long  before 
Moses,  and  Moses  could  scarcely  have  written  even  the 
Book  of  Genesis, — certainly  could  not  have  written 
that  of  Exodus, — before  the  passage  of  the  Red  Sea 
took  place.     And  as  regards  the  New  Testament,  St. 


262  Catechism.  [chap. 

Matthew's  Gospel,  supposed  to  be  its  earliest  book  in 
point  of  date,  is  attributed  by  learned  men  to  the  year 
A.D.  38.  Now  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  the  Chris- 
tian Church  was  fully  set  up,  fell  in  the  year  a.d.  33, 
There  must  have  been  then  an  interval  of  five  years, 
during  which  the  Cliristian  Church  did  not  possess  a 
line  of  New  Testament  Scripture.  St.  Stephen  fell 
asleep  in  Jesus  without  the  privilege  of  having  read  a 
single  verse  of  the  New  Testament. 

19.   Catecliist. — I  understand  you  to  be  speaking  only 
of  the   Old  and  New"  Testament  in  the  form  in 
which  we  have  them ;  in  short,  only  of  the  loritten 
Word  of  God.     There  must  surely  have  been  a 
spoken  Word  of  God  before  there  could  be  any- 
thing for  faith  to  lay  hold  of,  and  therefore  be- 
fore, in  any  sense  whatsoever,  there  could  be  a 
Church. 
Ansiver. — Undoubtedly  there  was  such  a  spoken  Word. 
The  first  promise  to  fallen  man  (which  was  dropped  in 
the  course  of  the  sentence  upon  the  serpent)  contains 
in  itself  the  germ  of  the    Gospel,  for  it  spoke   of  a 
Virgin-born  Champion  of  the  human  race  ("  the  seed  of 
the  woman"),  of  His  passion  and  death  in  the  lower 
nature  he  assumed  ("  thou  shalt  bruise  his  heel "),  and 
of  the  triumph  He  should  achieve  over  the  devil  ("  it 
shall  bruise  thy  head  ").     See  Gen.  ii.  15.     Our  first 
parents  no  doubt  laid  hold  of  this  first  promise  by  faith, 
and   doing    so   became    of   the  number  of  God's  true 
people,   and  may  be  called  (in  the  broadest  sense  in 
which  the  words  can.  be  used)  members  of  the  Church. 
This  promise,  which  constituted  their  only  Bible,  they 
handed  on   to  their  posterity.     And   all   similar  pro- 
mises were  handed  on  in  a  similar  way,  by  oral  tradi- 
tion when  there  was  no  writing,  or  when  writing  could 
not  be  rapidly  and  widely  circulated.     Doubtless  as 
soon  as  any  form  of  writing  was  invented,  it  would  be 
adopted  (however  rude  it  might  be),  to  preserve  the 
record  of  these  oracles  of  God.     And  Moses  may  have 
had  some  such  older  written  records  before  him  when 
he  composed  the  Pentateuch. — So  that,  although  the 


VIII.]  Catechism.  263 

Church  existed  before  the  Bible,  it  did  not  exist  before 
the  Word  of  God. 

20.  Question. — What  is  the  second  way  in  which  the 
Church  supports  tlie  Truth  ? 

Answer. — By  exhibiting  (or  representing)  it. 

21.  Question. — How  does  the  Church  exhibit  the 
Truth  ? 

Answer. — By  means  of  the  holy  Sacraments. 

22.  Question. — How  does  this  method  of  presenting  the 
Truth  differ  from  that  which  we  have  just  con- 
sidered ? 

Answer. — The  mode  of  presenting  the  Truth,  which 
we  have  just  considered,  consisted  in  either  handing 
down  by  tradition  the  unwritten  words  of  God 
(before  tiiere  was  any  Scripture),  or,  since  Scripture 
has  been  written  and  published,  in  placing  it  in  the 
hands  of  the  children  of  the  Church,  and  giving  an 
explanation  of  it.  This  is  done  by  means  of  words, 
either  spoken  to  the  ear  or  read ;  but,  unlike  the  Word 
of  God,  His  Sacraments  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  eye. 

23.  Question. — What  principle  of  our  nature  may  we 

suppose  Almighty  God  to  have  had  in  view  when 
ordaining  the  Sacraments  of  the  Church  ? 
Answer. — The  principle   that  we   are  affected  in  a 

more  lively  manner  by  what  passes  under  our  eyes, 

than  by  what  we  only  hear  of. 

24.  Question. — What  does  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism 
represent  ? 

Ansiver. — Several  vital  truths  of  the  utmost  import- 
ance ;  such  as  the  necessity  of  spiritual  cleansing  by  the 
blood  and  grace  of  Christ,  the  burial  of  the  Christian 
with  Christ  (by  the  plunging  of  the  baptized  person 
under  the  water,  which  is  the  primitive  and  correct 
form  of  administering  the  Sacrament),  his  resurrection 
with  Christ  unto  newness  of  life  (by  the  lifting  of  the 
person  into  the  air  after  immersion),  and  the  new 
creation  of  our  human  nature  in  and  through  Christ, 
which  new  creation  takes  its  rise  out  of  water,  and  is 


264  Catechism.  [chap. 

brought  about  by  the  Holy  Grhost, — reminding  us  of 
the  first  creation,  respecting  which  it  is  written  that  it, 
too,  had  a  similar  origin,  for  "  the  Spirit  of  God  moved 
upon  the  face  of  the  waters."     (See  G-en.  i.  2.) 

25.  Question. — What  does  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  represent  ? 

Ansioer. — The  bruising  of  Christ's  body,  and  the 
shedding  of  His  precious  blood  for  the  sins  of  the  whole 
world,  and  the  necessity  of  feeding  upon  this  body  and 
blood  by  faith  in  order  to  the  maintenance  of  that 
spiritual  life,  which  is  communicated  in  Baptism. 

26.  Question. — In  what  passage  of  his  Epistles  does 
St.  Paul  probably  allude  to  this  representation  of 
Christ's  death  in  the  Lord's  Supper  ? 

Ansiuer. — In  Gal.  iii.  1,  where  he  says,  "  0  foolish 
Galatians,  who  hath  bewitched  you,  that  ye  should  not 
obey  the  truth,  hefore  vjJiose  eyes  Jesus  Christ  hath  heen 
evidently  set  fortli^  crucified  among  you.^^ 

27.  Question. — But  why  must  we    here   suppose   any 

allusion    to    Sacraments  ?      Why   may    not    the 
Apostle  mean  that  he  had  preached  Christ  cruci- 
fied to  them  in  so  lively  and  effective  a  manner, 
that  it  seemed  to  bring  back  the  whole  awful  scene 
of  the  Crucifixion,  and  make  it  present  to  them  as 
if  it  had  been  enacted  among  them  ? 
Answer.—  This  probably  is  part  of  his  meaning ;  but 
had  he  meant  nothing  else  but  this,  he  would  rather 
have  said,    "crucified  for  you"   than   "■among  you." 
And  then  it  should  also  be   borne   in  mind   that  the 
allusion  to  witchery  (or  fascination)  in  the  earlier  part 
of  the  A'erse  lends  probability  to  the  idea  that  he  has 
the  Lord's  Supper  in  his  thoughts.    For  fascination  was 
anciently  supposed  to  be  exercised  through  the  eye  ;  so 
that  the  meaning  may  very  possibly  be,   "  Who  hath 
laid  upon  you  the  spell  of  an  evil  eye,  and  thereby  dis- 
tracted you  from  that  touching  and  hallowing  spectacle 
of  a  crucified  Saviour,  which,  in  the  holy  Supper,  has 
been  so  often  presented  hefore  your  eyes  ?  " 

28.  Catechist. — Yes ;    it  is  certainly  remarkable  that 


VIII.]  CatccJiisvi.  265 

the  Apostle  should  speak  of  Christ  having  been 
crucified  '^^  among"  the  Galatian  Christians,  and 
"  before  "  their  "  eyes."    It  seems  to  hint  at  some- 
thing which  made  the  power  and  efficacy  of  His 
death  present  to  them,  although  it  had  been  trans- 
acted  in  a  past   time,  and  in   a  country  remote 
from  theirs.     And  this  must  be  the  ordinance  of 
the  Lord's  Supper,  in  which  Christ's  death  is  not 
indeed  repeated — for  He  "  offered  one  sacrifice  for 
sins  for  ever"  (Heb.  x.  12);    "we  are  sanctified 
through  the  offering  of  the  body  of  Jesus   Christ 
once  for  all"  (Heb.  x.  10) ;  and  we  are  expressly 
told  that  he  does  not  "offer  himself  r)/?e»,  as  the 
high  priest  eutereth  into  the  holy  place  every  year 
with  blood  of  others  "  (Heb.  ix.  25), — but  power- 
fully and  efficaciously  exhibited  before  God  and 
man,  so  as  to  become  the  spiritual  food  and  suste- 
nance of  believers  in  every  successive  age  of  the 
Church.     So  that  Christ's  death,  though  an  event 
which  took  place   more    than   eighteen  centuries 
ago,  lives  in  the  Church  of  to-day  with  a  present 
power  and  efficacy. — But  the  two  Sacraments  are 
only  the  centre  of  the  Church's  system  of  worship.- 
May  the  same  thing  which  you  have  said  of  them 
(namely,    that    they    exhibit    and    represent   the 
Truth)  be  said  also  in  a  lesser  degree  of  all  parts 
of  the  system  ? 
Ansiver. — Yes  ;  every  part  of  the  system  of  worship 
represents,  and,  as  being  a  Uviufj  ordinance,  efficaciously 
represents,  some  part  of  the  Truth.  Thus,  for  example, 
Absolution  represents  the  great  doctrine  of  "  forgive- 
ness of  sins,"  brought  home  to  the  heart  and  conscience 
of  the  individual ;   Confirmation  represents  our  need  of 
the  strengthening    influences    of   the    Holy  Ghost,  in 
order  to  a  successful  warfare  with  our  spiritual  foes ; 
while  Public  Worship  generally  represents   the   truth 
that  "where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in" 
€hrist's   "  name,    there "    is    He    "  in   the   midst   of 
them." 

29.  Catechist. — Show  that  these  several  ordinances  are 


266  Catechism.  [CHAr. 

not  merely  representations,  but  powerful  and  effica- 
cious representations. 
Ansv:er. — Where  Absolution  is  sought  with  a  true 
penitent  heart  and  lively  faith,  it  is  really  granted 
to  him  who  seeks  it,  and  peace  is  ministered  to  his 
conscience  thereby.  When  young  persons  present 
themselves  for  Confirmation  with  real  and  single  de- 
voteduess  of  heart,  bent  upon  wholly  consecrating 
themselves  to  God,  and  looking  up  to  him  for  strength 
to  put  their  vows  in  practice,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  really 
"given  through  laying  on  of  hands  "  (see  Acts  viii.  IS, 
and  xix.  6) ;  and  whenever  two  or  three  Christians 
meet  seriously  and  devoutly  (and  not  as  a  mere  for- 
mality) in  the  Name  of  Christ,  and  humbly  claim  His 
promise  to  united  prayer.  He  is  as  certainly  in  the  midst 
of  them,  though  not  as  visibly,  as  He  was  in  the  midst 
of  the  disciples  on  the  evening  of  the  first  Easter  Day, 
when  the  little  flock  was  gathered  together  with  closed 
doors  "for  fear  of  the  Jews."     (See  St.  John  xx,  19.) 

30.  Catechist. — What  you  have  said  under  this  head  of 
your  examination  amounts  to  this,  that  the  Ordi- 
nances of  the  Church,  and  especially  the  Sacra- 
ments, are  an  expression  and  embodiment  of  the 
Truth.  How  then  might  we  arrive  at  the  Truth 
from  them  ? 

Ansicer. — By  studying  them  profoundly,  and  in- 
quiring of  each  of  them,  "  What  meaneth  this  service  ?" 
"How  did  this  institution  take  its  rise?"  "What 
truths  of  religion  is  it  meant  to  express  ?  "  The  single 
Ordinance  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  studied  thus,  would 
be  found  to  be  a  Grospel  in  itself. 

31.  Catechist. — You  said  that  the  third  way  in  which 
the  Church  supports  the  Truth  is  by  deftndlng  it. 
How  does  she  do  this  ? 

Answer. — By  means  of  her  Creeds  and  Confessions 
of  Faith. 

32.  Question. — What  is  the  character  of  all  the  earliest 
Creeds? 

Ansiver. — They  are  very  brief  and  simple. 


VIII.]  CakcJiisin.  267 

33.  Queftdon. — What  made  it  necessary  for  the  Church 
to  enlarge  tlie  bulk  of  her  Creeds  by  adding  new 
articles  to  them  ? 

Answer. — The  rise  of  false  doctrines,  aorainst  which 
it  was  the  Church's  duty  to  protest,  in  order  to  warn 
her  children  back  from  vital  error.  P]ach  new  heresy 
gave  rise  to  some  fresh  definition  of  the  Faith,  which 
was  added  on  to  the  old  Creed,  and  in  time  caused  it 
not  only  to  assume  larger  proportions,  but  to  have  the 
appearance  of  subtlety,  fine  distinctions  being  intro- 
duced, of  which  nothing  was  ever  heard  until  it  was 
found  that  they  were  needed. 

34.  Catechist. — Many  persons  call  these  distinctions 
and  definitions  uncouth  and  ugly,  and  find  foult 
with  the  Church  for  having  made  them.  IIow 
will  you  answer  their  objections  ? 

A)isii:er. — By  pointing  out  that  fortifications  too  are 
uncoutli  and  ugly,  shut  out  the  view  of  the  country, 
and  remind  us  unpleasantly  of  war  ;  but  still  that  they 
may  be  absolutely  necessary  for  the  security  of  a  city. 
In  like  manner  Creeds  and  Confessions  may  wear  a 
dogmatic  and  repulsive  aspect  in  one  view  of  them,  and 
yet  be  necessary  as  a  security  for  the  members  of  the 
Church,  when  an  attempt  is  made  by  heretics  to  corrupt 
and  deprave  the  Faith. 

35.  Catechist. — Yes ;  Creeds  must  of  necessity  carry 
about  on  them  the  marks  of  controversy,  seeing 
that  controversy  gave  rise  to  them.  And  contro- 
versy is  always  a  harassing  and  disturbing  thing. 
What  makes  it  necessary  ? 

Answer. — The  fact  that  false  doctrines  will  con- 
stantly be  broached,  and  that,  when  they  are  broached, 
it  would  be  a  breach  of  trust  in  the  Church  not  to  con- 
demn them,  she  being  the  "  pillar  and  ground  of  the 
truth." 

36.  Question. — Are  we  warned  in  Holy  Scripture  that 
the  future  of  the  Church  will  be  marked  by  the 
rise  of  heresies  and  soul-destroying  errors  ? 


268  Catechisni.  [chap. 

Answer. — We  are.  The  New  Testament  is  full  of 
such  warnings.  St.  Paul,  in  taking  leave  of  the 
Ephesian  elders  at  Miletus,  warned  them  to  this  effect, 
"  For  I  know  this,  that  after  my  departing  shall 
grievous  wolves  enter  in  among  you,  not  sparing  the 
flock.  Also  of  your  own  selves  shall  men  arise,  speak- 
ing perverse  things,  to  draw  away  disciples  after  them. 
Therefore  watch"  (Acts  xx.  29,  30_,  31).  And  St. 
Peter,  speaking  generally  to  all  Christians,  says  (2  Pet. 
ii.  1,  2),  "  But  there  were  false  prophets  also  among  the 
people,  even  as  there  shall  be  false  teachers  among 
you,  who  privily  shall  bring  in  damnable  heresies, 
even  denying  the  Lord  that  bought  them,  and  bring 
upon  themselves  swift  destruction.  And  many  shall 
follow  their  pernicious  ways ;  by  reason  of  whom  the 
way  of  truth  shall  be  evil  spoken  of."  And  so 
again  St.  Paul  to  Timothy  (1  Tim.  iv.  1),  "  Now  the 
Spirit  speaketh  expressly  that  in  the  latter  times  some 
shall  depart  from  the  faith,  giving  heed  to  seducing 
spirits,  and  doctrines  of  devils."  The  key-note  of  all 
these  warnings  had  been  already  struck  by  our  Lord 
Himself  in  His  Sermon  on  the  Mount  (St.  Matt.  vii. 
15),  "Beware  of  false  prophets,  which  come  to  you  in 
sheep's  clothing,  but  inwardly  they  are  ravening 
wolves  ;  "  and  in  His  Prophecy  on  the  Mount  (St. 
Matt.  xxiv.  11),  "  And  many  false  prophets  shall  rise, 
and  shall  deceive  many."  And  St.  Paul  shows  that 
there  is  a  necessity  for  the  rise  of  heresies  in  the 
Church,  in  order  that  the  faith  of  the  faithful  may  be 
approved  by  trial.  "  For  there  must  be  also  heresies 
among  you,  that  they  which  are  approved  may  be  made 
manifest  among  you  "  (1  Cor.  xi.  19). 

37.  Catechist, — You  have  pointed  out  that  the  Church's 

Creeds   and    Confessions  are  defensive   in  their 

character.     Can  you  mention  another  and  more 

attractive  purpose  which  theysubserve  ? 

Ansvjer. — Yes  ;  they  are  elucidatory.      These  subtle 

definitions,  made   originally  against   heresy,  serve    to 

clear   the   mind   on  the  high  subjects  of  which  they 

treat. 


VIII.]  Catechism.  269 

38.   Question. — "Will  you  give  an  instance  of  what  you 


mean  .'' 
Ansiver. — Many  persons  entertain  confused  and 
erroneous  notions  about  our  Blessed  Lord,  drawn 
rather  from  heathen  mythology  than  from  the  Holy 
Scriptures.  They  think  of  Him  as  a  demigod,  half 
god  and  half  man,  whereas  He  is  "  perfect  God  and 
perfect  Man,"  having  all  the  attributes  of  both,  and  at 
one  time  speaking  and  acting  in  one  of  these  natures, 
at  another  in  another.  And  yet  He  is  not  two  Per- 
sons, but  one  Person,  the  eternal  Son  of  God  "  mani- 
fest in  the  flesh."  AVe  have  an  image  of  all  this  in 
ourselves.  Each  one  of  us  has  a  rational,  and  also  an 
animal,  nature.  We  are  not  half  rational  and  half 
animal,  but  wholly  rational  and  wholly  animal.  The 
two  natures  are  quite  distinct ;  one  of  them  never 
fulfils  the  functions  of  the  other ;  they  never  trespass 
on  each  other's  spheres.  I  calculate  a  problem  in  my 
mind.  I  hunger  in  my  body.  The  body  never  cal- 
culates ;  the  mind  never  hungers  ;  and  yet,  though  the 
rational  and  animal  natures  are  so  distinct,  certain  it 
is  that  they  both  exist  in  the  same  person.  A.  B. 
is  not  two  men,  because  he  has  both  a  body  and  a 
mind. 

39.  Catechist. — Yes ;  that  illustration  is  very  happy. 
Where  did  you  borrow  it  from  ? 

Answer. — It  comes  from  the  Athanasian  Creed,  an 
elaborate  Confession  of  Faith,  of  whose  origin  little  is 
known  with  any  certainty,  but  which  has  certainly  ex- 
isted in  the  Church  for  a  thousand  years,  and  has  been 
received  by  all  Western  Christendom,  and  even  by 
some  parts  of  Eastern.  Its  language  on  the  doctrine 
of  Christ's  single  personality,  but  twofold  nature,  is  as 
follows : — 

"  Who  although  he  be  God  and  Man  :  yet  he  is  not 
two,  but  one  Christ ; 

"  One ;  not  by  conversion  of  the  Godhead  into  flesh  : 
but  by  taking  of  the  Manhood  into  God  ; 

"  One  altogether ;  not  by  confusion  of  Substance  : 
but  by  unity  of  Person. 


2  'JO  Catechism.  [chap. 

"For  as  the  reasoncible  soxd  and  flesh  is  one  man :  so 
God  and  Man  is  one  Christ." 

40.  CatecMst. — You  have  spoken  of  creeds  as  de- 
fensive in  their  character.  And  that  the  later 
developments  of  them  were  so,  there  can  be  no 
question.  But  were  quite  the  earliest  Confessions 
of  Faith  defensive  ? 

Answer. — No.  They  were  simple  statements  of  the 
Faith  held  by  the  Church,  brief  summaries  of  saving 
truth,  in  meditating  upon  which,  Christians  might 
always  find  peace  and  joy  and  edification,  and  in  the 
confession  of  which  tliey  gloried,  even  when  they 
suffered  for  it. 

41.  Question. — Do  we  meet  with  any  of  these  brief 
doctrinal  summaries  in  Holy  Scripture  ? 

Answer. — Yes ;  one  of  them  is  found  in  the  passage 
which  is  under  consideration  at  present  (1  Tim.  iii. 
16).  It  seems  to  have  been  a  Confession  of  Faith 
constructed  in  parallel  clauses,  and  with  a  sort  of 
rhythmical  cadence,  to  assist  the  memory. 

"  God  was  manifest  in  the  flesli, 
Justified  in  the  Spirit, 

Seen  of  angels, 
Preached  unto  the  Gentiles, 
Believed  on  in  the  world, 

Eeceived  up  into  glory." 

42.  Question. — What  does  the  Apostle  mean  by  calling 
this  Confession  of  Faith  a  "  mystery  "  ? 

Ansiver. — He  calls  it  so  in  allusion  to  "  the  mysteries" 
of  heathen  worship.  These  mysteries  were  sacred 
rites,  in  which  a  certain  secret  was  divulged  to  those 
who  were  initiated.  In  like  manner,  those  who 
were  initiated  by  Baptism  into  the  religion  of  Christ, 
had  a  certain  "form  of  sound  words"  intrusted  to 
them,  containing  the  secret  of  redeeming  love  and 
grace,  and  lodged  in  their  memories  as  a  sort  of  watch- 
word, by  the  use  of  which  they  might  be  recognised. 

43.  Catechist. — Quote    some   passages   of   St.   Paul's 


VIII. 1  Catechism.  271 

Epistles  iu  which  he  speaks  of  the  doctrines  of  the 
Gospel  as  a  secret  or  "mystery"  divulged  by 
preaching. 

Answer. — "  Now  to  him  that  is  of  power  to  stablish 
you  according  to  mxj  gospel,  and  the  preaching  0/ Jesus 
Christ,  according  to  the  revelation  of  the  mystery,  whicji 
was  kept  secret  since  the  world  began,  hut  now  is  made 
manifest,  and  by  the  scriptures  of  the  prophets  made 
known  to  all  nations  for  the  obedience  of  faith"  (Rom. 
xvi.  25,  26).  "  By  revelation  he  made  known  unto  me 
the  7nystery,  .  .  .  ichich  in  other  ages  was  not  made 
known  unto  the  sons  of  men,  as  it  is  noto  revealed  unto 
his  holy  apostles  and  prophets  by  the  Spirit ;  that  the 
Gentiles  should  be  fellow-heirs,  and  of  the  same  body, 
and  partakers  of  his  promise  in  Christ  by  the  gospel " 
(Eph.  iii.  3,  5,  6).  "  The  Church,  whereof  I  am  made 
a  minister,  according  to  the  dispensation  of  God  which 
is  given  to  me  for  you,  to  fulfil "  {or,  fully  to  preach) 
"  the  word  of  God ;  even  the  mystery  which  hath  been 
hid  from  ages  and  from  generations,  but  now  is  7nade 
manifest  to  his  saints :  to  whom  God  would  make 
known  what  is  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  this  mystery 
among  the  Gentiles ;  which  is  Christ  in  you,  the  hope 
of  glory  :  whom  we  preach  "  (Col.  i.  24-29). 

44.  Question. — But  why  does  he  call  this  Confession  of 
Faith  a  "  mystery  of  godliness"  ? 

Answer. — By  way  of  contrast  with  the  heathen  mys- 
teries, some  of  the  rites  connected  with  which  were 
impure  and  cruel.  They  were  mysteries  of  ungodliness. 
But  the  grand  secret  of  God's  redeeming  love  and  grace 
in  Christ,  which  was  communicated  to  the  baptized, 
and  by  them  embraced  as  their  Profession  of  Faith,  was* 
productive  only  of  godliness.  It  engendered  love  to 
God  and  man,  and,  by  its  testimony  respecting  the 
efficacy  of  Christ's  blood,  purged  "the  conscience  from 
dead  works  to  serve  the  living  God,"  (See  Heb. 
ix.  14.) 

45.  Question. — What  are  the  doctrines  enumerated  in 
this  short  Confession  of  Faith  ? 


272  CatccJiism.  [chap. 

Answer. — Fird^i  the  Incarnation  of  a  Person  in  the 
Godhead,  that  is,  His  appearance  in  human  nature ; 
secondJy,  the  justification  of  Him  as  man  (and  therefore 
the  justification  of  all  who  are  united  to  Him)  by  such 
events  as  the  descent  of  the  Spirit  upon  Him,  the  voice 
from  heaven  at  His  Baptism,  His  resurrection  from  the 
dead,  and  the  testimony  borne  to  Him  in  men's  hearts 
by  the  Holy  Grhost ;  thirdly,  the  manifestation  of  Him 
to  the  angels  (which  possibly  took  place  at  his  Ascen- 
sion), and  their  compliance  with  the  exhortation,  "  Let 
all  the  angels  of  God  worship  him"  (Heb.  i.  6); 
fourthly,  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  to  every  creature 
under  heaven  (see  Col.  i.  23,  and  Rom.  xvi.  26) ; 
fifthly,  its  acceptance  in  all  the  world,  and  the  con- 
sequent gathering  of  a  Catholic  (or  Universal)  Church, 
"  of  all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and  people,  and  tongues  " 
(see  Rev.  vii.  9) ;  and  sixthly,  the  Ascension  of  Christ 
into  heaven,  and  His  session  at  the  right  hand  of  God, 
"  till  his  enemies  be  made  his  footstool "  (see  Acts  ii. 
34,  35).  Stated  in  the  language  of  the  Apostles'  Creed, 
these  doctrines  are — "  I  believe  ...  in  Jesus  Christ, 
[God's]  only  Son,  our  Lord,  Who  was  conceived  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  Born  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  .  .  .  The  third 
day  he  rose  again  from  the  dead,  He  ascended  into 
heaven,  And  sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of  God  the  Father 
Almighty.  ...  I  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost;  The 
holy  Catholic  Church;  The  Forgiveness  of  sins." 

46.  Question. — What  spirit  will  these  great  doctrines, 
if  heartily  embraced,  stir  within  us  ? 

Answer. — A  spirit  of  joy  and  praise,  in  the  thought 
of  all  the  glorious  things  which  God  hath  done  for  our 
souls. 

47.  Question. — And  how  ought  this  spirit  of  joy  and 
praise  to  express  itself  in  our  method  of  reciting 
the  Christian  Creeds  ? 

Answer. — By  soag,  which  is  the  natural  vehicle  of 
•  praise. 

48.  Question. — Are  the  Creeds  in  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  appointed  to  be  sung  ? 


VIII.]  Catechism.  273 

Answer. — Not  necessarily.  An  option  is  given  either 
to  "  sing  "  or  "  say  "  thcni.  But  as  in  "  Tlie  Order  for 
Morning  Prayer,"  and  in  "The  Order  of  the  Adminis- 
tration of  the  Holy  Communion,"  "singing"  is  named 
before  "saying"  {^^  Then  shall  he  sunij  or  said  the 
Apostles'  Creed;"  ^^  Upon  these  Feasts  .  .  .  shall  be 
sung  or  said  at  Morning  Prayer  .  .  .  the  Creed  of 
Saint  Athanasius ;"  "  The  Gospel  ended,  shall  he  sxing 
or  said  the  Creed  folloiving ;")  we  conclude  that 
"singing"  is  the  method  of  recitation  to  which  the 
Church  gives  the  preference. 

49.   Question. — In  what  new  and  attractive  aspect  would 
the  compliance  with  this  order  for  singing  them 
present  the  Creeds  ? 
Answer. — In  the  aspect  of  hymns  of  praise.     Their 
controversial  character  would  be  for  the  moment  dropped 
by  the  mind,  and  we  should  regard  them  as  "triumph- 
songs   of   heaven,"  cheering  onward,   as    with  martial 
music,  the  soldiers  of  Christ,  who  "  manfully  fight  under 
his    banner    against  sin,   the    world,   and    the   devil." 
"  For  the  joy  of  the  Lord  is  our  strength."    (See  Neh. 
viii.  10.) 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   CHURCH   GUIDING   INTO   AND 
ILLUSTRATING  THE  TRUTH. 

"  ^nb  the  S^orb  tuill  rtnttc  upon  fbcr^  btoElUng-place  of 
<|Hrrunt  Z'lon,  anb  xtpon  her  assemblies,  a  eloub  anb 
smoke  bv  bag,  anb  the  shining  of  a  flaming  Arc  bg 
night," — Isaiah  iv.  5. 


T^ 


HE  reader  will  remember  that  we  are  now  con- 
sidering the  relations  of  the  Church  of  God  to 
the  Truth  of  God,  as  those  relations  are  sketched 
for  us  by  the  Apostle  Paul,  where  he  calls  the 
Church  "  the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth."   The 
notion  gained  generally  from  the  expression  "  pillar 
and  pedestal"  is  that  of  maintenance  and  support; 
and  it  was  pointed  out  in  the  last  Chapter  in  wliat 
senses  the  Church  may  be  said  to  maintain  and 
support  the  Truth.     But  we  saw  that  there  might 
have  been  another  and  more  specific  allusion  in  the 
mind  of  the  Apostle,  when  he  termed  the  Church 
jpoastbie       "  the  pillar  of  the  truth."    He  might  refer  to  "  the 
tf  faortf    pillar  of  fire  and  of  the  cloud  " — at  once  a  guiding 
trutr  tS  %^  and  an  illuminating  pillar — which  went  before 
aJi^Sf'tbe"    Israel  in  their   march   through   the  wilderness. 
*'""*'•  Now  the  restoration  to  the  people  of  this  "  pillar 

of  fire  and  of  the  cloud/'  after  Jerusalem  had  been 


CH.  IX.]     Illustrating  the  Truth.  275 

"  purged  "  "  by  the  spirit  of  judgment  and  by  the  rxcsiorntion 
spirit  of  burning,"  seems  to  be  foretohl  in  the  SflirtaU"f 
passage  of  Isaiah  Avhich  stands  at  the  head  of  this  bicuibg''"' 
Chapter.     This  prophecy,  like  all  other  Scriptural  ^"'°'^" 
prophecies,  is  no  doubt  rich  in  meaning,  and  the 
fulfilment  may  be  expected  to  repeat  itself  several 
times,  and  in  several  shapes,  before  it  becomes  full- 
orbed.     But  we  can  hardly  be  mistaken  in  think- 
ing that  one  fulfilment  of  it  will  be  found  in  the 
Christian  Church,  which  is  the  spiritual  or  true 
Zion.     And  if  so,  "  the  cloud  and  smoke  by  day," 
and  "  the  shining  of  a  flaming  fire  by  night,"  wliich  rfie  puiuing* 
the  Lord  will  create  upon  the  assemblies  of  Mount  minating 
Zion,  may  very  properly  be  taken  to  express  the  trcburrba 
guiding  and  illuminating  functions  of  the  Church,  ei'mfnt oftVs 
in  reference  to  the  true  sense  of  Holy  Scripture,  *""  ' 
of  which  we  are  now  to  speak. 

"  Guidance  and   illumination   as  to    the    true 
sense  of  Holy  Scripture."    Perhaps  there  are  some 
who  honestly  think  that  we  need  no  such  guid- 
ance or  illumination,  beyond  what  is  supplied  by  ©bjcction 
our  natural  faculties,  and  a  moderate  amount  of  "'ortn'fa' 
general  education.      Instead  of  saying  with  the  jj"o^ig  5??^. 
Ethiopian   nobleman,  "  How   can   I    understand  |,""gurt)'anfe"* 
what  I  read,  except  some  man  should  guide  me  ? "  abnasV  °^ 
these  people  ask,  not  at  all  from  self-conceit  or  [SfjJ^"^ 
sinful  presumption,  but  because  the  exigencies  of 
a  theory  seem  to  demand  it  of  them,  and  because 
their  Protestantism  seems  to  them  imperilled  by 
any  other  view  of  the  subject ;  "  Why  cannot  I  in- 
terpret Scripture  aright  for  myself  by  the  exercise 
of  my  own  faculties,  and  dispense  altogether  with 
human  interpretation  ?     Is  not  Scripture  its  own 


276  The  CJm7^ck  guiding  into      [chap. 

sufficient  interpreter  ?  "     Now,  if  any  principle  is 
a  sound  one,  it  must  admit  of  being  tested  by  a 
a  micini       crucial  experiment,  and  will  hold  good,  if  tried  in 
propoafU,      an  extreme  case.     If,  then,  you  are  sincerely  and 
tcstina'tijia    earnestly  convinced  of  the  soundness  of  this  priu- 
^^°  '  '^*    ciple,  that  the  Bible  itself,  without  any  sort  of 
concurrent  explanation,  is  a  sufficient  guide  into 
its  own  meaning ;  I  ask  whether  you  are  ready  to 
risk  something — say  the  faith  of  your  child — upon 
your  conviction  ?     It  is  open  to  any  parents  who 
wish  to  do  so  to  make  the  experiment.     Only 
act  a  cijiiD     they  must  make  it  honestly  (which  in  a  Christian 
up  toittiout    country  it  might  not  be  easy  to  do),  and  steadily 
ingtrachon,    refuse  to  let  the  child's  mind  be  biassed  by  any 
mint  abaii  ie  sort  of  religious  instruction.     Neither  his  mother, 
BBtoann"      nor  any  one  else,  is  ever  to  mention  to  him  God 
lleis!^^       or  Jesus  or  the  Holy  Spirit ;  he  must  never  be 
bidden  to  pray,  or  have  one  single  word  said  to 
him  as  to  what  prayer  is ;  noi-  must  he  even  be 
told  that  there  is  a  future  state  of  existence  in 
store  for  him,  the  character  of  which  will  depend 
upon  his  conduct.     Yes  !  if  the  Bible  is  really  and 
truly  quite  capable  of  being  its  own  interpreter,  it 
can  need  no  more  the  explanations  of  a  mother, 
than  those  of  a  priest  or  minister  of  religion.     We 
will,  however,   because   that  was  postulated  by 
iLct  j)im  bt    yourself,  give  your  child  a  fair  secular  education, 
abiiaR'"ans    — nay,  will  even  teach  him  to  read  Greek,  which 
"eSar"  °°°^  is  the  Original  language  of  the  New  Testament, 
rtucation.      __and  wc  wiU  assume  that  there  is  nothing  defec- 
tive in  his  mental  powers,  and  that  he  is  quite  up 
to  the  average  mark  in  point  of  ability.     And 
then,  when  he  has  reached  liis  twenty-first  birth- 


IX.]         and  ilhistrating  the  Truth.         277 

day,  aud  we   may   hope    tliat  his   judgment    is 
matured,  is  to  be  made  upon  this  unbiassed,  un- 
prejudiced, unprepossessed  mind,  the  great   ex- at  nc  ace  of 
periment.      Then   for  the  first  time  you  are  to  inTJit^Bibit 
bring  forth  the  Bible  (the  name  of  which  he  has  X^^m 
never  heard  before),  and  place  it  in  his  hands  fi"i|'o!tcij''to' *" 
with   a   solemn   charge ;   "  j\Iy    son,  this   is   the  fuiiuHfl^ous 
written   Word   of  God.      It   contains   all  truth  *'""'• 
necessary  to  our  salvation.     You  know  the  ori- 
ginal tongue,  in  which  the  more  important  por- 
tion of  the  volume  was  written.     Take   it,  and 
study  it   for  yourself,  and  make  out  the   truth 
from  it."   .  .  .    Can  you  conceive  for  a  moment 
that,  with  the  very  best  intentions,  he  will  suc- 
ceed ?     What  has  lie  got  to  make  out  ?     ^Vllat 
are  the  most  important  elements  of  this  "  truth," 
which  he  is  to  derive  into  his  own  mind  by  the 
mere   study   of  the "  Scriptures  ?     Probably  the  ctriaintn 
doctrines    of  the    Trinity    and    the   Atonement,  fafitosotijig. 
Well ;  will  he  rise  from  the  study  of  the  Bible  a  '^^,,'^^U. 
sound  believer  in  the  Son's  co- equality  and  co-  ^"*  iJortnncs. 
eternity  with  the  Father,  (a  most  vital  doctrine ; 
for  if  Jesus  be  not  God,  where  is  the  sufficiency  of 
His  Atonement  ?)  or  in  the  substitutional  character 
of  the  Blessed  Saviour's  sufferings  ?     Do  you  not 
see  that  in  order  to  understand  the  Scriptures  at 
all,  or  to  any  purpose,  a  certain  group  of  religious 
ideas  must  be  formed  in  the  mind,  which  the  Bible 
assumes  to  be  already  formed,  and  to  which  it  ap- 
peals, and  which  therefore  must  he  obtained  from 
another  source  ?     For  example ;  our  unprejudiced 
youth,  on  whom  the  experiment  is  to  be  made, 
opens  the  Book  we  have  given  him,  and  reads  its 


278  The  ChiLrch  gtiidmg  into      [chap. 

mt  berg      first  words  :  "  In  the  beginning  God  created  the 
ttif jsibif    heaven  and  the  earth,"     Well;    it  is  only  one 

asBumca  pre-  -r.    j_  j_i  • 

bioua  fenoV  verse.  But  even  this  one  verse  assumes  previous 
fc^csmnrt  °  knowledge,  not  to  be  gained  from  the  Book  itself. 
33iWe  itself.  It  assumes  that  there  is  a  God,  and  that  you,  the 
reader  of  the  book,  grant  it.  The  Bible  never 
proves  God,  never  attempts  to  demonstrate  His 
existence ;  it  only  says  that  the  man  who  denies 
His  existence  is  a  fool,  but  does  nothing  to  reason 
that  man  out  of  his  folly.  I  must  have  an  idea 
of  God,  then,  before  I  can  understand  even  the 
first  verse  of  my  Bible.  And  the  idea  must  be 
m\t  goums  borrowed  from  something  outside  the  Bible.  As 
toe  neriije  our  a  fact,  the  idea  comes  to  us  partly  from  our  reason 
eiL^tenct  of  and  conscience, — but  Very  mainly  also  from  the 
instructions  which  we  have  received  when  young, 
and  which  have  put  into  definite  shape  the  in- 
timations of  reason  and  conscience.  We  have 
been  assured  very  early  in  life  that  there  is  one 
God,  of  infinite  power,  wisdom,  and  goodness ;  His 
power  and  wisdom,  we  were  told,  were  shown  in 
making  the  stars  and  trees  and  flowers,  and  His 
goodness  in  showering  upon  us  natural  blessings, 
and  in  sending  His  Son  to  redeem  us.  And  we 
were  further  assured  that  this  great  Being  will 
judge  us  for  our  actions,  and  reward  the  good  and 
punish  the  wicked.  And  thus  was  developed  an 
idea  in  our  minds,  which  is  necessary  to  our 
understanding  of  the  first  verse  of  our  Bibles. 
But  it  never  could  have  been  developed,  without 
some  teaching  outside  the  Book  itself.  And  this 
teaching  was  that  of  the  Church — first,  of  a 
Christian  mother,  bringing  her  children  up  in  the 


IX.]         and  illustrating  the  Truth.         279 

nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord,  and  then 
subsequently,  as  the  time  drew  on  for  our  Con- 
iirmation,  of  a  Christian  Minister. 

But  possibly  some  of  my  thinking  hearers  are 
still  not  quite  satisfied  as  to  the  necessity  of  ad- 
mitting any  human  interpretation  for  the  right 
understanding  of  Holy  Scripture.     You  ask,  per-  ciiat  nil  ttjf 
haps,  in  reference  to  those  doctrines  of  our  Faith  tbc^ja"it?arc 
to  which  I  have  adverted ;  "  Must  we  not  allow  j^oId  l"?ip-" 
that  the  doctrines  of  the  Trinity  and  the  Atone-  ImpiJ'tbat"'' 
ment  are  to  be  found  in  Holy  Scripture  ? "     Most  foun^Ttjtu 
assuredly  they  are  to  be  found  there  ;  and,  when  guiSe."'  ^ 
found,  they  are  as  two  great  keys,  which  unlock 
and  open  the  meaning  of  the  entire  volume.     But 
the  question  is  not  whether  they  are  to  be  found 
there,  but  icliethcr  they  are  to  he  found  without 
any  yuidance  or  help.     In  the  British  Museum,  ifruitifss 
or  in  the  Bodleian  Library,  there  are,  we  will  say,  grtat  saorff 
at  least  a  hundred  editions  of  the  works  of  Shak-  iTbfarof' 
spere.     So  that  those  grand  repertories  of  books  h^fafsurt- 
have  no  lack  of  copies  of  our  greatest  writer ; —  °""  °"^  ^'^' 
Shakspere  is  found   there  in  profusion.     But  I 
exceedingly  question  whether,  if  you  were  shut 
up  in  the  Bodleian  Library  alone,  and  left  to  find 
Shakspere  by  the  exercise  of  your  own  faculties, 
you  would  succeed.    You  would  ask  for  the  index, 
or  you  would  inquire   for   the   librarian.     You 
might  and  would    forget   the   service  they  had 
rendered  you,  when  you  had  seized  and  begun  to 
devour  your  literary  treasure ;  but  nevertheless 
they  would   have   been  quite    indispensable  to 
you.     And  similarly  a   librarian   and   an  index 
have   always   been   found   indispensable    to   the 


28o  The  Church  guidiiig  iiito      [chap. 


SSEfjmce  titti 
Sue  obtain 
tf)£  informa- 
tion tljat  ti)c 
Berpmt  in 
ffien.  iii.  is 
ti)e  Ucijirj" 


St.  3of)n, 
the  nnlg 
Scriptural 
toritcr  toijo 
gibes  a  Jiint 
of  it ;  anS  get 
Burclp  t})e 
CEfjurH] 
must  fiaijc 

pOSSEBBCll  tiir 

information 
before  ijis 
time. 


ascertainment  of  the  true  sense  of  Holy  Scrip- 
ture, the  librarian  being  the  Church,  Jewish  or 
Christian,  and  the  index  that  traditional  inter- 
pretation, which  has  followed  the  AVord  of  God 
down  the  stream  of  time,  and  which  has  always 
been  a  God-given  light  under  which  the  Scrip- 
tures have  been  read.  That  we  all  habitually 
avail  ourselves  of  this  interpretation  is  a  fact, 
whether  we  like  it  or  no.  And  if  we  were  to 
ignore  this  interpretation,  we  should  cut  our- 
selves off  from  a  large  amount  of  comfort  and 
edification,  and  remove  the  only  key  we  have 
to  the  meaning  of  certain  passages.  Take  one  or 
two  instances.  In  order  to  light  up  the  narrative 
of  the  Fall  with  any  sort  of  moral  meaning,  you 
must  suppose  that  the  serpent  was  not  a  mere 
beast  of  the  field,  but  the  devil  using  the  serpent 
as  his  instrument.  But  how  do  you  know  that  it 
was  so  ?  There  is  not  a  vestige  of  the  fact  in  the 
sacred  narrative  itself.  If  you  persist  in  going  by 
the  letter  of  Genesis,  you  have  no  warrant  what- 
ever for  saying  that  the  devil  appeared  at  all  to 
our  first  parents.  St.  John,  it  is  true,  in  the  very 
latest  book  of  the  New  Testament,  does  call  Satan 
that  "  primeval  serpent,"  from  which  a  believer 
in  and  reader  of  the  New  Testament  might  gather 
that  the  serpent  which  appeared  at  the  Fall  was 
something  more  than  he  seemed  to  be.  But  must 
we  not  suppose  that  long  before  the  Eevelatiou 
was  written,  every  member  of  the  Jewish  and 
Christian  Churches  perfectly  understood  who  the 
serpent  was,  that  plays  so  very  prominent  a 
part  in  the  history  of  our  race?     Was  St.  Paul 


IX.]        and  ilhistj'atiiig  the  Truth.         281 

ignorant  who  the  serpent  was,  when  he  wrote,  "  I 
fear,  lest  by  any  means,  as  the  serpent  beguiled 
Eve  through  his  subtilty,  so  your  minds  should  be 
corrupted  from  the  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ"? 
— Whence  then  did  Jews  and  Christians,  and  St. 
Paul  among  the  rest,  obtain  the  information  that 
the  serpent  was  in  reality  the  great  enemy  of  man- 
kind ?  There  is  no  means  of  answering  that  ques- 
tion but  by  supposing  that  the  Old  Testament 
came  down  to  them,  not  floating  in  a  vacuum, 
but  wrapped  round  with  an  atmosphere  of  tradi- 
tional sentiments  and  explanations. 

But  we  shall  perceive  the  existence  of  this  at- 
mosphere still  more  clearly,  if  we  proceed  a  little 
further  in  the  history.  Immediately  upon  the  Fall 
was  issued  what  is  called  the  first  Prophecy.  It  jrisuai 
pleases  us  to  call  it  the  first  Prophecy ;  but,  as  it  0"  [be " 
stands  in  the  narrative,  it  is  really  nothing  else  than  fcspfctir^  tf)e 
the  sentence  of  the  Lord  God  upon  the  serpent,  in  tooman, 
which  are  incidentally  introduced  these  very  enig- 
matical words  of  comfort  to  the  woman  :  "  The 
woman's  seed  shall  bruise  thy  head,  and  thou  shalt 
bruise  his  heel."  A  preacher,  preaching  on  this 
text,  would,  without  hesitation,  interpret  Christ 
(the  Virgin-born)  to  be  the  woman's  seed — the 
bruising  of  the  heel  of  Christ  to  be  the  sufferings 
which  His  lower  nature  should  undergo  from 
wicked  men,  instigated  by  wicked  spirits, — and 
the  bruising  of  the  serpent's  head  to  be  the 
crushing  of  the  devil's  power  by  the  Saviour's 
death  and  resurrection ;  and  his  congregation 
would  receive  his  interpretation  as  assuredly 
true,  and  as  the  right   use   to   be  made  of  tlie 


282  The  Church  giddmg  into     [chap. 

notobfainrt  passage.  But  whence  did  he  and  they  get  it? 
Se'Ssdf;  Certainly  not  from  the  letter  of  the  Bilile.  I 
am  not  aware  that  it  is  ever  said  of  the  woman's 
seed  (though  it  is  of  Abraham's)  that  by  that  ex- 
pression Christ  is  meant.  Your  son,  whom  you 
have  brought  up  with  a  good  secular  education, 
but  without  any  hereditary  religious  ideas,  could 
by  no  possibility  make  out  from  the  document  that 
nor  couiu  Christ  was  meant.  And  if,  in  the  perversity  of  his 
jHSfns  tf)e  scepticism,  he  chose  to  laugh  outright  at  your  idea 
prestation  be  that  the  sufferings  of  Christ  at  the  hands  of  the 
mor'frmttc  devil,  and  His  glorious  triumphs  over  the  devil, 
Scriptures.  ^^^  enigmatically  foretold  in  those  words,  and  to 
insist  that  there  was  nothing  in  them  at  all  beyond 
the  natural  antipathy  which  men  (all  of  whom  are 
born  of  woman)  feel  for  serpents, — an  antipathy 
which  leads  them,  when  they  see  a  snake  in  the 
grass,  to  trample  on  its  head,  in  the  endeavour  to 
do  which  the  creature  may  sometimes  turn  and 
sting  them  in  the  heel, — you  could  say  nothing  at 
all  from  the  letter  of  Scripture  to  disprove  his 
view  and  prove  your  own.  What  would  you  say 
to  him  ?  You  would  probably  say,  "  You  are  very 
perverse;  you  reject  an  interpretation  which  all 
Christendom  has  agreed  to  put  upon  the  passage." 
And  he  would  not  unreasonably  reply ;  "  You  told 
me  the  Book  would  speak  for  itself,  and  be  an 
abundantly  sufficient  guide  into  its  own  mean- 
ing. If  so,  of  what  service  can  the  judgment  of 
Christendom  be  to  me  ?  I  maintain  there  is 
nothing  here  but  a  saying  about  serpents  and 
men;  true  enough,  no  doubt,  but  having  no 
moral  or  spiritual  bearing  whatever."     And  he 


IX.]        and  illustrating  the  Truth.         283 

is  right.     In  the  letter  of  the  Bible  we  in  vain 
seek  for  anything  more. 

Again;  consider  how  very  large  a  portion  of 
most  valuable  typical  teaching  we  must  consent  to 
forego,  and,  consequently,  to  how  great  an  extent 
the  Old  Testament  must  become  a  dead  letter  to 
us, — merely  interesting  as  an  antiquarian  record, 
— if  we  resolve  to  be  beholden  in  nowise  to  that 
traditional  interpretation,  which,  concurrently 
with  the  Scriptures  themselves,  the  Church,  both 
Jewish  and  Christian,  has  handed  down. 

For  instance,  what  possible  connexion  with  the  jrfietjpitai 
great  subject  of  Good  Friday  has  the  first  Morning  [hSrifiL 
Lesson  which  our  Church  appoints  for  that  day, —  th/lacriCce 
the  Chapter  of  Genesis,  which  records  the  offering  °^^'J"^' 
up  of  Isaac   by  his  father  ?     A  young  Sunday- 
school  child  would  give  you  a  ready  answer  to  this 
question.     "  The  Chapter  is  appropriated  to  Good 
Friday,"  he  would  say,  "  because  on  that  day  God 
gave  up  His  dear  Son  to  suffer  death  upon  the 
cross  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world,  and  Abra- 
ham's sacrificing  Isaac  is  a  figure  or  type  of  God's 
doing  this.     And  just  as  the  wood,  whereon  he 
was  to  be  offered,  was  carried  by  Isaac,  so  our  be  - 
loved  Lord  was  made  to  carry  His  wooden  cross 
to  the  place  of  execution,  before  He  was  stretched 
upon  it  to  be  crucified."     Nobody  educated  in  the 
usual  way,  under  the  light  of  traditional  Christian 
sentiments,  doubts  that  Isaac  is  an  eminent  type, 
or  questions  that  his  carrying  the  cloven  wood  is 
a  typical  particular ;  but  the  Bible  itself  never  tells  „ugt  j, 
us  anything  of  the  sort.     And  if  any  one  should  i3'rbi?ig'io"fc't 
choose  to  maintain  that  Isaac  is  not  a  type  of  Clirist  fnurputTna. 


284  The  Church  gtiiding  into      [chap. 

at  all,  there  is  nothing  in  the  letter  of  the  Scrip- 
tures to  confute  him. 

Once  more,  it  is  unquestionable,  because  the 
5t.  iiaui'g     writer   of  the   Epistle   to   the   Hebrews    affirms 
assertion  tfjat  it  expressly,  that  the  old  patriarchs  looked  not 
patTiard)s      for  trausitory  promises, — that  Abraham,  for  ex- 
transitorg      ample,  "  lookcd  fop  a  city  which  hath  founda- 
promiacB.      -^JQ^g^  whose  builder  and  maker  is  God."     But 
whence    did   Abraham   derive  this   expectation, 
an  expectation  which  is  so  vital  an  element  in 
everything  deserving  the  name  of  religion,  that 
we   may  truly  say  religion   cannot   exist   with- 
out it?     Unless  you  suppose  a  communication 
of  the  fact  of  eternal  life  being  in  store  for  God's 
true   people   to   have   been    made    to    our    first 
parents  by  the  Almighty,  and  handed  down  in 
the   line   of  Seth  as  a  thing  understood  in  the 
orfjro  \vxs      Patriarchal  Church,  and  as  the  revealed  basis  of 
tlje  ®i§ '"     all  piety,  Abraham's  grounds  for  the  expectation 
frDmiTt^ci^"  must  have  been  of  the  very  slenderest.  They  must 
bopjsupon.   j^^^g  ^gg^  confined  to  the  translation  of  Enoch, 
the  memory  of  which  would,  no  doubt,  be  carefully 
preserved,  and  from  which  pious  men  might  augur 
the  probability  of  a  future  state  of  blessedness  for 
insufBcicnrg  those  who  walked  in  Enoch's  footsteps.    But  surely 
of  St?to"  only  the  probability.     There  was  this  great  argu- 
nrotmtirt       ment  in  favour  of  Enoch's  case  being  in  all  respects 
cas/of  "^^     exceptional,  that  it  was  markedly  exceptional  in 
°'''"^^"         one  particular.     Enoch  was  removed ;  he   never 
died.     Because  Enoch  was  taken  to  glory,  it  would 
not  be  conclusive  to  argue  that  those  over  whose 
heads  the  grave  did  actually  close  should  pass  out 
of  it  again,  to  become  sharers  of  Enoch's  blessed- 


IX.]        and  illuslraiing  the  Truth.         285 

ness.  And  when,  in  the  time  of  Moses,  the  written 
Scripture  did  at  length  appear,  tlie  hints  of  eternal 
life  given  in  the  Pentateuch  were  so  rare  and 
so  obscure,  that  without  help  from  some  external 
traditional  sentiment,  some  instinctive  conscious- 
ness cherished  by  the  people  of  God,  it  would 
have  been  impossible  to  decipher  them.  Bishop  gbgfn„  pf 
Warburton,  in  his  "  Divine  Legation,"  makes  the  lutnai  ufe"^  °^ 
silence  of  ]\Ioses  on  the  subject  of  eternal  life  one  ^"ratatracfj, 
premiss  of  his  rather  perverse  argument.  His  ob-  |^afbur1on°s 
ject  is  to  prove  the  indisputable  truth  that  Moses  "^^s""""'- 
received  a  divine  commission.  This  he  does  by 
showing  that  every  great  legislator  except  Moses 
found  it  necessary,  in  promulgating  his  law,  to  ap- 
peal to  eternal  sanctions.  Moses  did  not  find  it 
necessary  to  do  this.  He  therefore  must  have 
had  something  else  to  fall  back  upon,  in  procuring 
the  acceptance  and  observance  of  his  law.  And 
what  he  had  to  fall  back  upon  was  the  conscious- 
ness of  the  people  that  God  had  indeed  commis- 
sioned him,  flowing  from  their  witnessing  his 
miracles.  No  doubt  AVarburton  stretches  a  point 
to  prove  his  minor  premiss.  But  if  eternal  life 
had  been  revealed  with  any  plainness  in  the  Law, 
it  would  have  been  utterly  impossible  to  adopt  his 
line  of  argument. 

I  need  not  pursue  the  subject  further,  except  to  rfjousf)  tbt 
say  that  we  all,  as  a  fact,  deal  with  the  New  rretammt 
Testament  on  entirely  the  same  principles  as  Sanation 
those  on  which  the  Church  has  always  dealt  with  ©ic/Sm' 
the  Old,  accepting  it,  that  is,  not  in  its  mere  letter,  S^Kffiu 
but  as  wrapped  round  with  an  atmosphere  of  |?a6ilion  Jf' 
traditional  interpretation.     Of  course  it  is,  in  its  iS'ortttTo'' 

intnrprtt  ii. 


286  The  Church  giiidi7ig  into     [chap. 

very  nature,  far  more  explicit  and  plain,  far  less 
enigmatical  and  obscure,  than  the  earlier  volume ; 
but  still  we  accept  very  many  things  in  our  system 
of  doctrine  and  practice  which,  while  they  may 
be  very  plausibly  supported  by  the  New  Testa- 
ment, still  could  never  be  found  in  the  mere  text 
of  it,  except  with  the  help  of  the  traditional  inter- 
pretation, which  the  practice  of  the  early  Church 
s-fje  Bubstitu-  puts  upon  it.     The  observance  of  Sunday  (I  am 
iLort'B  iDas   not  speaking  of  the  Sabbath,  but  of  the  Lord's 
Sabbatfj,       Day),  an  observance  which  we  rightly  prize  and 
Banctification,  cherish, — where  is  it  made  incumbent  upon  us  by 
the  law  of  Christ  our  Saviour,  unless  you  will 
admit  the  general  sense  of  the  early  Church  as 
throwing  light  upon  the  Lord's  mind  ?   If  you  rest 
the  'princi])h  of  the  observance  (as  you  may  rea- 
notobm        sonably  do)  on  the  fourth  Commandment,  still 
pnBcribeii  in  you  must  show  some  reason  for  shifting  the  ob- 
Eestamcnt,    servance  from  Saturday  to  Sunday.    "  God  blessed 
and  sanctified  the   seventh    day,"  not   the  first. 
And  the  only  reason  you  can  possibly  show  for 
the  change  of  day  is  the  general  sense  of  the 
Church  throughout  the  world,  that  the  Lord's  Ee- 
surrection  having  fallen  on  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  was  a  sufficient  justification  for  the  trans- 
infant         fer.     Again,  we  prize  dearly  Infant  Baptism,  as 
«b6i  not  on    Sealing  our  little  ones  for  the  Lord,  and  bringing 
rtBtamcnt     them  under  the  gracious  influences  of  His  Spirit, 
Eufon'tram-  bcforc  consciousncss  dawns.     But  while  we  may 
tmfng'bafk'  and  do  support  Infant  Baptism  out  of  the  New 
tfrncB.''^'^  "^   Testament,  no  one  can  say  witli  truth  that  he 
finds  it  in  the  letter  of  the  volume.     The  early 
Church  had  an  instinctive  sense  that  it  was  in 


IX.]        and  ilhistrating  the  Tritfh.         287 

accordance  with  the  iniiid  of  Christ  to  baptize 
infiints ;  and  they  did  uniformly  baptize  tliem. 
Finding  the  practice  universally  prevalent  in  the 
first  few  centuries  after  Christ,  and  therefore  bear- 
ing every  trace  of  derivation  from  the  Apostles 
themselves,  we  then  go  to  Holy  Scripture,  and 
find  there  several  passages  beautifully  consonant 
with  it,  such  as,  "  Suffer  little  children,"  etc.,  and 
the  Baptism  of  whole  households  recorded  in  the 
Acts.  But  we  nowhere  find  any  positive  rule  to 
baptize  infants. 

Enough,  I  trust,  has  now  been  said  to  prove  the 
point,  which  is,  that  we  all  (more  or  less)  do  as  mnnctfaiiB 
a  matter  of  fact  read  Scripture  in  the  light  of  an  iu«  tofujout 
hereditary  transmitted  interpretation,  and  that,  if  goma^inl 
we  are  to  possess  ourselves  of  its  full  moral  and  {,"r?tiaar0 
spiritual  significance,  we  must  read  it  so.    The  ex-  'ntfrpuia-^ 
periment  never  was  honestly  made  of  reading  the  ''""• 
Scriptures  without  note  or  comment,  or  without 
such  previous  prepossession  with  certain  religious 
ideas  as  virtually  is  note  and  comment ;  and  there 
is  every  reason  to  believe  that,  if  the  experiment 
could  be  made,  it  would  be  a  miserable  failure 
as  regards  the  arriving  at  truth.     The  Ethiopian  ©fficf  of  the 
nobleman  was  right.     He  could  not  have  under-  fiUrt^bg  ti 
stood   what   he   read,  without   "  some   man "   to  enjilm/an!''' 
"  guide "   him.      St.  Philip  the   Deacon  was   to  ^mpiafntu 
him  the  representative  and  accredited  agent  of  nol'uni)"""' 
the   Church   of    Christ,   which,   in   reference   to  Ri?^" 
God's  Truth,  is  a  guiding  and  illuminating  piUar,  Siuio 
—leading  the  way,  and  giving  light.     And  this  °"""  ^''"• 
office   the    Church   fulfils   for  us,  partly  by  her 
Creeds  and  Confessions  of  Eaith,  partly  by  her 


The  Church  guiding  iiito      [chap. 


In  fajl)at 

srnsc  l^olu 

SCTifltuVE  IS, 

in  its  turn, 
tfjc  pillar  anl) 
pcOrstal  of 
tlje  artiurch. 


2r{)c  offia, 
nutijoritg, 
ijiatorg,  ant 
existence  of 
lt)e  Ctiurcl} 
can  onb  be 
ascertained 
from  I^oId 
Scripture. 


formularies  (which  embody  a  large  amount  of 
doctrinal  teaching),  and  still  more  by  that  trans- 
mitted hereditary  meaning  of  Holy  Scripture, 
which  she  carries  down  along  the  ages,  and 
which  is  a  sort  of  instinct  or  conscience,  like 
the  Scriptures  themselves,  widely  influential,  but 
very  difficult  to  give  an  account  of. 

But  we  must  not  omit  to  remark,  in  conclusion, 
that  if  the  Holy  Scripture  needs  the  explanation 
of  the  Church,  the  Church  still  more  needs  the 
explanation  of  Holy  Scripture.  If  in  one  point 
of  view  the  Church  is  the  pillar  and  pedestal  of 
"  the  trutli,"  in  another  and  no  less  important 
one,  "  the  truth "  is  (as  Chrysostom  clearly  saw) 
the  pillar  and  pedestal  of  the  Church.  I  receive 
the  Holy  Scriptures  in  the  first  instance  on  the 
testimony  of  the  Church.  I  read  them  under  the 
light  wdiich  the  Church  transmits.  All  this  is 
indisputable.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  how  can 
the  Church  explain  what  she  is,  or  what  autho- 
rity she  has,  without  an  appeal  to  Holy  Scrip- 
ture ?  "  You  call  yourself  the  Church,"  the 
person  approached  by  her  might  say;  "but  what 
is  a  Church  ?  what  account  can  you  give  of  your- 
self, or  of  the  authority  with  which  you  profess 
to  have  been  invested?  I  know  nothing  about 
you  at  present."  It  is  of  course  utterly  impos- 
sible to  answer  such  questions  without  the  Book, 
— more  impossible  even  than  it  would  be  to 
understand  Scripture  without  the  Church's  com- 
mentary. The  charter  and  title-deeds  of  the 
Church  are  in  Scripture ;  and  if  you  remove 
Scripture,  you  cut  away  the  very  pillar  and 
pedestal  of  the  Chui'ch. 


IX.]         and  inust7'atino  the  TrittJi.        289 

The  sum  is,  that  both  the  Holy  Scriptures  and 
the  Church  are  God's  M-itnesses  among  men,  and  |J^^jboIh 
that  they  are  mutually  necessary  to  one  another,  nnB^^he 
linked  in  the  closest  of  bonds.     The  Church  is  """'^"s 

nccrsaaro  to 

the  ordained  teacher  of  truth,  which  must  reach  one  anotf)cr. 
us,  in  order  to  be  influential  with  creatures  con- 
stituted as  we  are,  through  a  living  voice.  The 
Holy  Scripture  is  the  fj^^eat  criterion  of  truth,  the 
only  standard  of  appeal  by  which  every  contro- 
versy must  be  tried,  so  that  "  whatsoever  is  not 
read  therein,  nor  may  be  proved  thereby,  is  not 
to  be  required  of  any  man,  that  it  should  be  be- 
lieved as  an  article  of  the  faith,  or  be  thought  requi- 
site or  necessary  to  salvation ;"  and  it  has  more- 
over this  great  prerogative,  that  it  is  always  pure,  Crciusibf 

'^  '  ®  '  ■     T  J  ptfTogattbc  of 

perfect,  infallible,  whereas  the  prejudices  andthcftjoiD 
passions  of  men,  their  controversies  and  partisan-  nbofac  the 
ships,  often  gi'ievously  deprave  the  Church,  and 
render  it  utterly  unlike  even  its  primitive  model, 
— far  more  unlike  its  ideal  in  the  mind  of  its 
Founder.  "'NVliat  God  hath  joined,"  however, 
"  let  not  man  put  asunder." 

Let  us  prize  our  Bibles  above  all  earthly  trea- 
sure,  reading   (or  rather  studying)    them  with  -'"^J"*  °^ 
earnest  prayer  for  God's  Spirit.     And  let  us  hold  ciiaptrr 

inttoljufco*. 

fast,  while  studpng  them,  that  clue  which  God 
has  given  us  to  their  meaning  in  our  Prayer- 
Book,  which  for  us  embodies  and  represents  the 
teaching  of  the  Church,  "  the  pillar  and  gi'ound  of 
the  truth,"  at  once  supporting  and  illustrating  it. 
This  signification  of  the  Prayer-Book  we  shall 
exhibit  in  our  last  Chapter. 


290  Catechism.  [chap. 


Catechism  aw  Qlhap.  'i.^. 

1.  Catecliist. — We  are  now  to  consider  the  ideas  yielded 

by  the  words,  "  the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth," 

on  the  hypothesis  that  the  Apostle,  in  using  them,  is 

alluding  to  the  pillar  of  fire  and  of  the  cloud,  which 

journeyed    before  the    children   of  Israel  in   the 

wilderness.     State  once  again  what  those   ideas 

are. 

Answer. — That  the   Church  guides  into  the  Truth, 

and  throws  light  upon  it ;  because  the  pillar  of  a  cloud 

led  the  people  the  way  by  day,  and  the  pillar  of  fire 

gave  them  light  by  night.     (See  Exod.  xiii.  21.) 

2.  Question. — Where   do  we   find    a    promise    of  the 

restoration  of  this  pillar  of  fire  and  of  the  cloud  ? 
Answer. — In    Isaiah   iv.    5  :    "  And    the    Lord   will 
create  upon  every  dwelling-place  of  mount  Zion,  and 
upon   her   assemblies,  a  cloud  and  smoke  by  day,  and 
the  shining  of  a  flaming  fire  by  night." 

3.  Question. — Are  we  to   look    for    the    fulfilment  of 

this  promise  in  Grospel  times  ? 
Ansiver. — It  would  appear  so.     The  heading  of  the 
chapter,  in  the  Authorized  Translation  of  the  Bible,  is, 
"  In  the  extremity  of  evils,  Christ's  kingdom  shall  be 
a  sanctuary." 

4.  Catechist. — The  context  of  this  passage  then  con- 

cerns  Christ's  kingdom,   or,  in  other  words,  the 
Church.     And  probably  the  Church  is  meant  by 
the  term  "  mount  Zion  "  in  the  verse  before  us. 
If  this  be  so,  what  will  be  the  interpretation  of 
the  "cloud  and  smoke  by  day,  and  the  shining 
of  a  flaming  fire  by  night  "  ? 
A7iswer. — These  words  will  find  their  fulfilment  in 
the  guiding  and  illuminating  functions  of  the  Church, 
by  which  she  indicates  the  true  sense  of  Holy  Scrip- 
ture.    She  not  only  recommends,  exhibits,  and  defends 
the  Truth,  but  also  guides  into  the  knowledge  of  it,  and 
throws  light  upon  it. 


IX.]  Catechism.  291 

5.  Question. — For  us,  who  live  siuce  the  Canon  of  the 
New  Testament  has  been  completed,  what  is  "  the 
Truth?" 
Ansiver. — The  volume  of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 

0.   Catechist. — Your  assertion  is,  then,  that  the  Church 
guides  us  into  the  knowledge  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, and  throws  light  upon  the  study  of  them. 
But  there  are  some  who  think  and  assert  that  the 
Holy  Scriptures  need  no  explanation,  and  are  best 
read  without   note  or  comment.     They  suppose 
that  all  that  is  required  to  gain  the  Truth  from  the 
volume  of  the  Bible  is  suflBcient  intelligence  and  a 
certain  amount  of  general   education,  and  that, 
where  a  person  is  possessed  of  these  qualifications, 
he  can  make  out  the  Truth  for  himself,  or  (at  all 
events),  make  it  out  so  far  as  is  suflBcient  for  his 
own  edification  and  salvation,  without  further  help 
or  guidance.     Scripture,  they  say,  is  its  own  suffi- 
cient interpreter.    How  would  you  deal  with  views 
like  these  ? 
Answer. — I  should  point  out  that  no  good  and  de- 
vout person  does  ever,  as  a  fact,  trust  the  Bible  to 
interpret  itself,  however  much  he  may  insist  theoreti- 
cally upon  the  position  that  Holy  Scripture  is  its  own 
sufficient  interpreter. 

7.  Question. — "VMiat  do  you  mean  ? 

Answer. — I  mean  that  people  would  not  act  upon 
this  theory,  where  something  valuable  had  to  be  risked 
in  acting  upon  it,  thereby  showing  that  they  have  no 
real  practical  belief  in  what  they  maintain.  It  is  said 
that  a  divine,  who  in  the  year  18G0  had  made  up  his 
mind,  from  the  study  of  unfulfilled  Prophecy,  that  the 
end  of  the  world  would  come  about  in  1870,  after- 
wards went  and  took  a  house  upon  a  long  lease  for 
ninety-nine  years,  at  the  expiration  of  which,  if  his 
theory  of  unfulfilled  Prophecy  were  true,  the  earth 
ought  to  have  been  laid  in  ashes  for  eighty-nine  years. 
He  cannot  really  have  believed  his  own  prediction, 
though  he  may  have  persuaded  himself  that  he  did  so. 


292  Catechism.  [chap. 

And,  in  like  manner,  no  one  acts  as  if  he  believed  that 
the  Bible  is  its  own  sufl&cient  interpreter,  however  ear- 
nestly he  may  maintain  that  position  in  argument. 

8.  Question. — What  specially  are  you  alluding  to  ? 
Answer. — To  the  fact  that  every  one,  in  educating 

children,  thinks  it  right  and  necessary  to  give  them, 
along  with  the  Bible  itself,  that  explanation  of  it  which 
is  currently  received  among  Christians. 

9.  Question. — If  people  really  believed  that  the  Bible 

(with  the  help  of  a  good  general  education)  is  its 
own   sufficient   interpreter,  what   experiment   on 
their   children  ought    they   to   be    contented   to 
make? 
Answer. — That  of  bringing  them  up  until  they  reach 

an  age  to  judge  for  themselves,  without  instilling  into 

their  minds  a  single  religious  idea. 

10.  Question. — But  why  are  they  bound  to  go  so  far  as 
this,  if  they  desire  to  be  consistent  ? 

Answer. — Because,  by  instilling  a  single  religious 
idea,  they  are  in  fact  putting  an  explanation  upon  the 
Bible,  and  anticipating  what  the  child  ought  hereafter 
to  get  from  the  Bible  for  himself. 

11.  Question. — Are  these  people  on  their  own  theory 

doing  something,  not  only  superfluous,  but  posi- 
tively mischievous  and  wrongful,  when  they  instil 
religious  ideas  into  the  minds  of  children  ? 
Answer. — Yes ;    because   they   are    biassing    them 
towards  certain  religious  opinions  of  their  own,  before 
the  judgment  can  possibly  be  matured.     If  Grod  has 
not  provided  us  with  any  living  guide  or  instructor, 
but  wills  us  to  gain  all  our  religious  knowledge  for  our- 
selves out  of  a  book  which  He  has  caused  to  be  written, 
it  must  surely  be  wrong  as  well  as  harmful  to  interfere 
with  His  method,  by  prepossessing  the  minds  of  children 
with  any  religious  sentiments  whatsoever,  before  they 
come  to  an  age  to  examine  the  Bible  for  themselves. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  God  has  provided  a  guide  and 
instructor  for  both  young  and  old,  and  has  made  His 


IX.]  Catechism.  293 

instructions  necessary  for  the  right  understanding  of 
Ills  Holy  Word,  it  must  be  very  perilous  to  dispense 
with  the  services  of  this  guide. 

12.  Question. — As  general  propositions  are  often  apt  to 
mislead,  and  as  the  question  before  us  is  a  grave 
one,  in  which  it  would  be  very  serious  to  be  misled 
in  either  direction,  will  you  mention  one  or  two 
Scriptural  doctrines  of  the  utmost  importance, 
which  could  not  be  obtained  from  the  mere  letter 
of  Scripture  without  collateral  explanation  ? 

Answer. — I  may  mention  the  doctrine  of  the  Holy 
Trinity,  and  that  of  Christ's  Atonement. 

13.  Questio7i. — What  circumstance  would  make  the 
doctrine  of  the  Holy  Trinity  very  hard  to  find  in 
Holy  Scripture,  without  some  previous  doctrinal 
training  ? 

Answer. — The  circumstance  that  the  doctrine  is,  if 
we  except  the  controverted  and  very  doubtful  text  in 
St.  John's  1st  Epistle  (v.  7),  nowhere  explicitly  stated 
in  terms  in  the  Bible. 

14.  Question. — But  if  the  Holy  Scriptures  do  not  ex- 
pressly state  it,  do  they  contain  it  ? 

Answer. — Most  assuredly  they  do:  only  they  give  it 
us  piecemeal,  and  by  continual  references  to  it  and 
assumptions  of  it.  There  are  many  passages  ^  in  which 
Christ  is  expressly  said  to  be  Divine.  Other  passages  * 
clearly  intimate  the  Godhead  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  And 
yet  we  are  repeatedly  warned,  both  in  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments,  that  there  is  but  one  God.^  The  combina- 
tion of  the  truths  taught  in  these  various  passages 
results  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.  Then  again 
there  are  many  passages  which  assume  and  refer  to, 
though  they  do  not  expressly  state,  the  doctrine.    Such 

1  As  John  i.  1 ;  Rom.  ix.  5;  1  Cor.  xv.  47;  Heb.  i  8,  10 
Isa.  ix.  6  ;  Acts  xx.  28,  and  many  others. 

2  As  Acts  V.  3,  4 ;  Acts  xxviii.  25,  26  ;  with  Isa.  vi.  3, 
9,  etc.  etc. 

3  As  Deut.  vi.  4  ;  St.  Mark  xii.  29 ;  1  Cor.  viii.  4  ;  Isa. 
xliv.  8,  etc.  etc. 


294  Catechism.  [chap. 

are  the  prescribed  form  of  Baptism  (St.  Matt,  xxviii. 
19);  the  Apostolic  Benediction  (2  Cor.  xiii.  14);  and 
the  text,  "  Jehovah  our  Elohim  is  one  Jehovah  "  (Deut. 
vi.  4;  and  St.  Mark  xii.  29);  literally,  "the  Lord  our 
Gods  is  one  Lord."  So  that  this  grand  doctrine  may 
be  most  clearly  and  certainly  proved  from  Scripture, 
though  it  is  nowhere  stated  in  terms  there. 

15.  Question.  — Can  you  give  any  illustration  of  a  doc- 
trine being  really  and  certainly  contained  in  a 
document,  which  yet  is  never  expressly  stated 
there  ? 

Answer. — I  think  I  can.  Let  us  imagine  some  book, 
which  contains  all  the  Acts  of  the  British  Legislature 
for  a  single  year.  The  doctrine  of  the  English  Con- 
stitution, and  of  the  respective  powers  of  the  Sovereign, 
the  Lords,  and  the  Commons,  might  be  made  out  from 
such  a  book,  though  it  would  not  be  in  its  province  to 
make  a  formal  statement  of  the  doctrine.  We  should 
find  that  in  all  cases,  after  a  Bill  had  passed  one 
House,  it  was  considered  (and  occasionally  altered)  by 
the  other,  and  that,  when  it  had  passed  both  Houses,  it 
was  invariably  submitted  to  the  Sovereign  for  the  Royal 
Assent.  And  thus  we  might  make  out,  by  comparing 
different  parts  of  the  volume,  the  full  doctrine  of  the 
English  Constitution,  and  of  the  checks  upon  legislative 
action  which  it  involves. 

16.  Catechist. — If  this  illustration  is  just,  it  would  seem 
that  Holy  Scripture  is  designed  rather  to  prove 
the  Truth  than  to  teach  it.     Is  this  so  ? 

Answer. — It  is.  The  Bible  assumes  the  existence  of 
a  living  instructor  in  the  Truth,  who  will  indoctrinate 
us  into  the  rudiments  of  it,  and  refer  us  to  the  Scrip- 
tures themselves  for  the  proof  of  what  he  teaches.  If 
the  instructor  is  dispensed  with,  and  the  disciple  thrown 
back  merely  on  the  Bible  and  his  natural  faculties,  he 
will  be  very  liable  to  stumble,  almost  certain  to  do  so 
as  regards  those  more  recondite  definitions  of  doctrine, 
which  the  Church's  experience  of  heresies  has  shown 
her  to  be  necessary,  and  has  taught  her  to  make. 


IX.]  Catechism.  295 

IT.  Question. — Why  would  a  person,  into  ■whose  mind 
no  religious  ideas  had  been  instilled  in  childhood, 
almost  certainly  fail  to  find  the  true  doctrine  of 
the  Atonement  in  Holy  Scripture  ? 
Answer. — Because  the  idea  of  atonement  belongs  to 
a  group  of  ideas,  which  the  reader  of  Holy  Scripture  is 
assumed  to  have  ready  formed  in  his  mind,  before  he 
comes  to  the  perusal  of  the  Volume.  Expiation  made 
by  the  sufferings  and  death  of  an  innocent  victim  for 
the  sins  of  the  guilty,  is  an  idea  which  we  catch,  each 
one  of  us,  from  the  atmosphere  of  religious  tradition, 
which  wraps  us  round  in  our  childhood,  and  we  read 
our  New  Testaments  under  the  light  which  that  tradi- 
tion furnishes.  If  this  light  were  not  shining  upon  us, 
we  should  be  puzzled  to  know  what  to  make  of  such 
inspired  statements  as  these,  which  at  present  are  the 
comfort  and  joy  of  our  hearts  ; — "  Behold  the  Lamb  of 
God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world"  (St. 
John  i.  29) ;  "  He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions, 
he  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities ;  the  chastisement  of 
our  peace  was  upon  him ;  and  with  his  stripes  we  are 
healed "  (Isa.  liii.  5) ;  "  Christ  died  for  our  sins, 
according  to  the  scriptures  "  (1  Cor.  xv.  3) ;  "  Who 
his  own  self  bare  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the 
tree  "  (1  Peter  ii.  24) ;  "  Herein  is  love,  not  that  we 
loved  God,  but  that  he  loved  us,  and  sent  his  Son  to  be 
the  propitiation  for  our  sins"  (1  John  iv.  10) ;  "Unto 
him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his 
own  blood"  (Rev.  i.  5). 

18.   Catechist. — You  say  that  before  a  man  can  under- 
stand the  Bible,  he  must  have  a  mind  furnished 
with  certain  ideas,  which  ideas  the  Bible  assumes 
as  known  and  admitted.     Show  that  the  Bible  in 
its  earliest  verse  assumes  a  truth,  which  must  be 
drawn  from   some  other   source  than  the  Bible 
itself. 
A7iswer. — Let  us  suppose  that  a  mother,  without  ever 
having  told   her   child  anything  about  God,  reads  to 
the  child  the  first  verse  of  the  Bible,  under  the  belief 
that  the  Bible  itself  will  teach  him  all  it  is  necessary 


296  Catechism.  [chap. 

for  him  to  know — "  In  the  beginning  Grod  created  the 
heaven  and  the  earth."  The  child  would  certainly  ask, 
"Mother,  who  is  God?"  And  when  the  mother  ex- 
plains that  God  is  a  Being  of  infinite  power,  wisdom, 
and  goodness,  who  holds  our  life  in  His  hand,  and  from 
whom  flows  our  every  blessing,  an  intelligent  child 
might  naturally  ask,  "  How  do  you  know  there  is  such 
a  Being,  as  you  say  you  have  never  seen  Him  ?"  And 
this  question  cannot  be  answered  out  of  the  Bible. 
The  Bible  assumes  the  existence  of  God,  but  does  not 
prove  it.  It  speaks  to  those  who  admit  the  existence 
of  God,  and  have  an  idea  of  Him  already  formed  in 
their  minds.  The  Bible  seeks  to  exalt  this  idea,  to 
elevate  it,  to  purify  it,  to  make  it  worthier,  and  grander, 
and  more  attractive  idea  than  it  ordinarily  is  (a  very 
large  part  of  the  Bible  is  occupied  in  doing  this),  but 
it  never  offers  a  proof  of  God's  existence.  It  simply 
says,  that  to  deny  the  existence  of  God  is  sheer  folly 
(See  Psalm  liii.  1). 

19.  Question. — "Whence  then,  if  we  are  not  taught  it 
by  the  Bible,  do  we  derive  the  conviction  that 
there  is  a  God? 

Ayiswer. — From  the  intimations  of  conscience,  which 
assures  us  of  the  existence  of  a  Righteous  Governor, 
"  who  will  render  to  every  man  according  to  his  works," 
and  from  the  works  of  nature,  which  lead  us  to  the 
conclusion  of  a  great  First  Cause.  The  existence  of 
God  proves  itself  to  our  conscience  and  reason,  which 
are  so  constructed  that  we  cannot  but  believe  in  a 
Superior  Being.  And  these  intimations  of  the  reason 
and  conscience  are  developed  and  put  into  shape  by 
the  teaching  we  received  in  our  childhood.  That 
there  is  a  God,  all  good,  all  wise,  who  controls  and 
governs  us,  and  sees  all  our  most  secret  thoughts,  was 
an  idea  instilled  into  us  before  any  other. 

20.  Catechist. — But  surely,  if  the  more  important  doc- 
trines of  the  Faith  are  really  and  truly  contained 
in  Holy  Scripture,  and  repeatedly  inculcated  there, 
any  one  will  be  able  to  find  them  for  himself,  who 
has  a  fair  amount  of  intelligence  and  education  ? 


IX.]  Catechism.  297 

Answer. — I  do  not  deny  that  he  may  find  them  easily, 
if  he  avails  himself,  or  in  times  past  has  availed  him- 
self, of  the  appointed  guidance.  A  man  brought  up  in 
the  ordinary  way,  under  the  instruction  of  parents, 
tutors,  and  Christian  Ministers,  one  who  has  always 
breathed  the  atmosphere  of  religious  thought  which 
circulates  throughout  the  Church,  and  which  is  more 
or  less  inhaled  by  all  of  us,  whether  we  will  or  no,  will 
find  no  difficulty  whatever  in  laying  his  hand  upon  the 
Scripture  prools  of  the  Trinity  and  the  Atonement. 
But  that  is  not  the  case  supposed.  We  arc  imagining 
the  case  of  one  who  is  thrown  upon  the  study  of  the 
Bible,  with  his  mind  an  absolute  blank  as  to  all  religious 
ideas  (a  case  never  actually  realized  to  the  fullest  ex- 
tent), and  we  say  of  such  an  one  that  he  simply  would 
not  know  what  to  make  of  the  Bible,  and  that,  though 
he  might  read  the  texts  (among  many  others),  which 
contain  the  more  vital  doctrines,  he  could  not  appre- 
ciate their  importance  or  central  position,  nor  indeed 
understand  them. 

21.  Question. — Can  you  compare  his  dilemma  to  any- 
thing which  may  illustrate  it  ? 

Answer. — It  somewhat  resembles  the  case  of  a  man 
shut  up  alone  in  a  vast  library,  to  find  a  copy  of  a  famous 
author,  of  whose  writings  several  hundred  copies  exist, 
scattered  up  and  down  the  library. 

22.  Question. — What  would  such  a  person  want,  in 
ordjer  to  get  at  the  work  of  which  he  was  in 
search  ? 

A7isiucr. — He  would  want  the  librarian,  or  the  index, 
or  perhaps  both. 

23.  Question. — In  ascertaining  the  true  sense  of  Holy 
Scripture,  what  corresponds  to  the  librarian  ? 

Aiiswer. — The  Church,  which  Is  "  the  pillar  and 
ground  of  the  truth." 

24.  Question. — And  what  to  the  index  ? 

Answer. — The  traditional  interpretation,  which  has 
from  time  immemorial  been  current  in  the  Church. 


298  Catechism.  [chap. 

25.  CatecMst. — Many  people  look  with  great  suspicion 
upon  this  traditional  interpretation.  "Why  could 
it  not  be  dispensed  with  ? 

Answer. — Because  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  the 
understanding  of  certain  passages,  and  to  the  profitable 
understanding  of  others. 

26.  Catechist.—^\\o\f  this  by  giving  an  example. 
Answer. — "We  read   in    Gen.    iii.    of   the   serpent's 

seducing  our  first  mother,  (and  through  her  our  first 
father,)  from  her  allegiance  to  God.  And  in  2  Cor. 
xi.  3,  where  the  Apostle  speaks  of  the  serpent's 
"  beguiling  Eve  through  his  subtilty,"  the  same 
phraseology  is  adopted.  Every  child  who  reads  the 
story  of  the  Fall,  is  told  without  hesitation  that  the 
serpent,  who  successfully  decoyed  our  first  parents,  was 
the  Devil,  taking  the  form  of  a  serpent.  And  unless 
we  suppose  it  to  be  so,  the  narrative  loses  its  moral, 
and  its  consistency  with  the  plan  of  salvation  as  de- 
veloped in  other  parts  of  Holy  Scripture.  But  it  is 
never  said  in  the  narrative  that  the  serpent  was  the 
Devil,  nor  is  the  slightest  hint  dropped  to  that  efi"ect, 
A  traditional  interpretation  has  come  down  side  by  side 
with  the  narrative,  which  is  absolutely  necessary  to 
make  it  instructive  and  edifying. 

27.  CatecMst. — But  surely,  without  the  help  of  this 
traditional  interpretation,  you  might  infer  with 
certainty  that  the  serpent  was  the  devil  from 
Rev.  xii.  9,  where  St.  John  expressly  calls  the 
Devil  the  primeval  (or  aboriginal)  Serpent:  "And 
the  great  dragon  was  cast  out,  that  old  serpent, 
called  the  Devil,  and  Satan,  tohich  deceiveth  the 
whole  world." 

Answer. — No  doubt  a  person  possessed  of  the  Book 
of  Revelation,  and  believing  in  its  genuineness  and 
inspiration,  might  feel  satisfied  from  that  single  expres- 
sion that  it  was  the  Devil  who,  under  the  form  of  a 
serpent,  conducted  the  temptation  of  our  first  parents. 
But  the  Book  of  Revelation  is  in  point  of  date  among 
the  latest  books  of  the  Bible  ;  and  it  is  quite  impossible 


IX.]  Catechism.  29Q 

to  suppose  that  believers,  before  the  Book  of  Revela- 
tion was  written,  were  ignorant  who  this  serpent  was, 
or  that  the  Corinthians  did  not  understand  St.  Paul  to 
mean  the  Devil,  when  he  wrote  to  them  about  the  ser- 
pent, "  who  beguiled  Eve  through  his  subtilty."  St. 
Paul,  using  as  he  does  at  all  times  "  great  plainness 
of  speech  "  (see  2  Cor.  iii.  12),  would  certainly  have 
been  more  explicit,  had  he  felt  that  there  was  the 
smallest  chance  of  his  being  misunderstood.  But 
every  Christian  at  Corinth  was  perfectly  aware  who 
the  serpent  in  Genesis  was,  without  being  told.  Side 
by  side  with  the  books  of  the  Old  Testament,  had  come 
down  a  traditional  interpretation  of  them,  which  the 
Jews  unhesitatingly  received,  and  which  the  Apostles 
handed  on  to  their  Christian  converts,  when  they  placed 
these  books  in  their  hands. 

28.  Catechist. — Give  another  instance,  in  which  we 
are  entirely  dependent  on  the  traditional  interpre- 
tation, for  a  right  understanding  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures. 

Answer. — The  explanation  which  every  Christian 
puts  upon  the  first  promise  of  a  Redeemer  really  comes, 
not  from  Scripture  itself,  but  from  a  tradition  which  has 
for  ages  found  currency  in  the  Church. 

29.  Question. — What  explanation  do  you  mean  ? 
Aiiswer. — That  which  is  always  given  of  Gen.  iii.  15. 

That  by  "  the  seed  of  the  woman  "  is  meant  Christ, 
who  was  born  of  a  pure  Virgin.  That  "  the  seed  of  the 
serpent "  means  wicked  men,  instigated  by  devils. 
That  "  the  seed "  of  Christ  means  believers  in  Him. 
That  "  the  head  "  of  the  serpent  denotes  his  chief  seat 
of  power.  That  "  the  heel "  of  Christ  denotes  his  lower 
(or  human)  nature.  That  the  bruising  of  the  serpent's 
head  denotes  the  extinction  of  his  power.  That  the 
bruising  of  Christ's  heel  denotes  what  He  suffered  in 
His  human  nature  from  the  enmity  of  men  and  devils. 
None  of  these  explanations  are  given  either  in  the 
narrative  itself,  or  in  any  other  part  of  Holy  Scripture. 
Indeed  we  are  never  told  in  Scripture  that  by  "  the 


300  Catechism.  [chap. 

seed  of  the  woman"  is  meant  Jesus  Christ,  which  is 
the  foundation  of  the  other  explanations,  and  without 
which  key  to  the  meaning  the  passage  loses  all  its  moral 
and  spiritual  significance,  and  degenerates  into  a  trivial 
description  of  the  instinctive  antipathy  which  men  feel 
for  serpents,  the  way  in  which  a  snake  injures  a  man, 
and  in  which  the  man  retaliates. 

30.  Catechist. — But  all  Christians  will  tell  you,  with 
one  accord,  that  this  great  prophecy  respecting 
"the  seed  of  the  woman"  speaks  of  much  higher 
things  than  the  mutual  hostility  of  men  and  ser- 
pents. 

Answer. — Or,  in  other  words,  the  Christian  Church 
assures  me  that  this  is  the  true  meaning  of  the  passage, 
and  the  meaning  I  ought  to  accept.  It  does  so,  I  know. 
But  as  the  Bible  does  not  tell  me  so,  I  find  that  some- 
thing outside  the  Bible  itself  is  necessary  for  tlie  right 
understanding  of  the  holy  Volume,  that  it  is  not,  as  is 
sometimes  pretended,  self-interpreting. 

31.  Question. — Can  you  show  how  the  principle  that 
nothing  but  Scripture  itself  can  be  accepted  in 
the  interpretation  of  Scripture,  and  that  no  tradi- 
tional comments  can  be  admitted,  would  deprive 
us  of  many  edifying  types,  and  evacuate  many  of 
the  Old  Testament  histories  of  their  evangelical 
meaning  ? 

Answer. — Isaac  is  one  instance  in  point.  Joseph 
would  be  another.  Neither  of  these  patriarchs  is  any- 
where expressly  said  to  have  been  a  type  of  Christ. 
But  it  is  abundantly  clear,  and  indeed  generally  acknow- 
ledged, that  both  of  them  were  so.  Every  child  is 
taught  that  Abraham's  sacrifice  of  Isaac  is  a  type  of 
Grod  the  Father's  giving  His  Only-Begotten  Son  to  be 
a  sacrifice  for  the  sins  of  the  world ;  that  Isaac's 
acquiescence  is  a  type  of  Christ's  cheerful  and  zealous 
compliance  (see  St.  John  x.  18);  that  the  wood  being 
laid  upon  Isaac  is  typical  of  Christ  bearing  the  cross, 
and  that  Isaac's  being  laid  upon  the  wood  is  a  type  of 
the  Crucifixion  of  Christ.     None  of  these  things  are 


IX.]  Catechism.  301 

said  in  the  narrative ;  nor  can  we  find  any  text  in  the 
Bible  which  explicitly  calls  Isaac  a  typical  character. 
And  yet  we  make  no  question  of  the  fact.  It  is  a 
traditional  interpretation,  which  has  come  down  to  us 
concurrently  with  the  Scriptures.  And  if  we  reject  it, 
we  leave  large  tracts  of  the  Old  Testament  without  any 
special  Christian  significance.  Accept  it,  and  those 
passages  are  lighted  up  with  a  new  and  beautiful 
meaning. 

32.  Question. — Is  there  any  warrant  for  saying  that 
the  Church  of  England  regards  Isaac  as  a  typical 
character  ? 

Answer. — Unquestionably  she  does  so.  For  the 
Church  of  England  appoints  the  account  of  the  sacri- 
fice of  Isaac  to  be  read  as  the  first  Lesson  at  IVIorning 
Prayer  on  Good  Friday.  Now,  unless  the  sacrifice  of 
Isaac  was  typical  of  the  Sacrifice  of  Christ,  there  would 
be  no  reason  or  appropriateness  in  this  arrangement. 

33.  Question. — "\^Tiat  must  pious  Jews  of  old  have 
found  in  the  Law  of  Moses,  which  is  never  clearly 
expressed  there,  and  which  they  must  have  gained 
therefore  from  traditional  comments  and  interpre- 
tations, handed  down  with  the  Law  ? 

Answer. — The  great  doctrine  of  eternal  life  after 
death. 

34.  Question. — How  do  we  know  for  certain  that  they 

did  look  for  eternal  life  after  death  ? 
Answer. — Because  the  Apostle  Paul  tells  us  so  in 
his  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews.  Speaking  of  Abraham  he 
says ;  "  He  looked  for  a  city  which  hath  foundations, 
whose  builder  and  maker  is  God"  (Heb.  xi.  10). 
And  more  generally  :  "  These  all "  (he  has  mentioned 
Abel,  Enoch,  Noah,  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob  and  Sarah) 
"  died  in  faith,  not  having  received  the  promises,  but 
having  seen  them  afar  off,  and  were  persuaded  of 
them,  and  embraced  them,  and  confessed  that  they 
were  strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the  earth.  For  they 
that  say  such  things  declare  plainly  that  they  seek  a 
country.    And  truly,  if  they  had  been  mindful  of  that 


302  Catechism.  [chap. 

country  from  whence  they  came  out,  they  might  have 
had  opportunity  to  have  returned.  But  now  they 
desire  a  better  country,  that  is,  an  heavenly :  where- 
fore God  is  not  ashamed  to  be  called  their  God :  for 
he  hath  prepared  for  them  a  city"  (Heb.  xi.  13-17). 
We  may  say  without  hesitation  that  all  holy  men 
under  the  Old  Testament  Dispensation  shared  in  the 
same  expectations,  and  were  lifted  above  the  world  by 
the  same  bright  hopes.  As  our  Seventh  Article  says  : 
"  They  are  not  to  be  heard,  which  feign  that  the  old 
Fathers  did  look  only  for  transitory  promises." 

35.  CatecMst. — To  begin  with  Abraham,  whom  you 
mentioned  first,  and  who  lived  before  the  earliest 
Books  of  the  Old  Testament  were  composed. 
Whence  shall  we  suppose  that  he  derived  his 
assurance  of  eternal  life  after  death  ? 

Answer. — He  can  only  have  derived  it  with  any  cer- 
tainty from  some  Divine  communication,  probably  made 
originally  to  our  first  parents  in  connexion  with  the 
promise  respecting  the  seed  of  the  woman,  and  handed 
down  by  tradition  in  the  family  of  Seth. 

36.  Question. — Might  not  Abraham  have  augured  from 
the  fact  of  the  translation  of  Enoch,  that  some 
bright  and  glorious  future  was  in  store  for  the  true 
children  of  God? 

Answer. — Doubtless  he  might.  But,  as  Enoch  never 
did  die,  but  "was  translated  that  he  should  not  see 
death"  (Heb.  xi.  5),  his  case  would  not  be  parallel 
with  that  of  the  rest  of  mankind ;  and  from  it  alone 
Abraham  could  hardly  have  augured  that  eternal  life 
after  death  would  be  his  own  portion,  and  that  of  other 
pious  and  devout  persons.  Death  seemed  to  extinguish 
the  existence  of  men.  Why  should  it  not  be  as  it  seemed  ? 

37.  CatecMst. — In  speaking  of  Abraham,  we  have  been 

speaking  of  a  period  before  the  Pentateuch  was 
composed.  But  even  after  written  Scripture  ap- 
peared in  the  world,  and  Moses  had  pubhshed  his 
Five  Books,  was  there  any  express  revelation  of 
eternal  life  after  death  ? 


IX.]  Catechism.  303 

Ansiccr. — We  seek  in  vain  for  any  such  explicit  re- 
velation in  the  Pentateuch.  A  future  state  may  be 
assuimd  by  the  writer  (and  indeed  it  is  hard  to  under- 
stand how  a  system  of  religion  can  have  any  other 
basis  than  the  doctrine  of  a  future  state) ;  it  may  be 
darkly  hinted ;  but  it  certainly  is  not  expressed. 

38.  a»es;n>7i.— What  great  theological  writer  of  the 
English  Church  makes  this  silence  of  the  Law  on 
the° subject  of  a  future  state  one  premiss  of  his 
argument  ? 

Answer. — Bishop  Warburton,  in  his  "  Divine  Lega- 
tion of  Moses." 

39.  Qiiesfion.— What  is  the  argument  by  which  War- 
burton  seeks  to  prove  that  Moses  must  have  received 
a  Divine  commission,  and  have  been  supported  by 
the  exercise  of  supernatural  power  ? 

Amwer. — Tlie  argument  is  this :  All  other  legislators, 
in  order  to  obtain  influence  over  the  people,  have  found 
it  necessary  to  appeal  to  an  eternal  recompence  of  virtue 
and  vice  in  a  future  state  of  existence  : 

Moses  says  nothing  of  this  eternal  recompence,  and 
yet  exerted  a  greater  influence  than  any  other  legislator: 

Therefore,  Moses  must  have  had  the  support  of  the 
supernatural  power  of  God,  and  must  have  been  really 
commissioned  by  Him. 

40.  Catechist. — You  have  shown  sufficiently  that  the 
Old  Testament  requires  a  collateral  interpretation, 
in  order  to  its  being  understood  aright.  But  can 
the  same  thing  be  said  in  any  measure  of  the  New 
Testament  ? 

Answer. — The  New  Testament  is  no  doubt  a  much 
plainer  and  more  explicit  Revelation  than  the  Old. 
Things  which  were  only  hinted  at  and  obscurely  in- 
sinuated in  the  earlier  Volume  are  proclaimed  on  the 
house-top  in  the  later.  More  especially,  as  to  the  sub- 
ject of  which  we  have  recently  been  speaking,  life  and 
immortality,  which  before  lay  in  shadow,  are  brought 
to  light  by  the  Gospel.  But  still  there  are  certain 
points,  and  those  not  unimportant  ones,  in  which  the 


304  Catechism.  [chap. 

New  Testament  also  needs  a  traditional  comment,  in 
order  to  the  right  understanding  of  it. 

41.  Gatecliist. — Mention  any  such  points  which  occur 
to  you. 

Answer. — The  observance  of  the  Lord's  Day  is  one 
such  point,  and  Infant  Baptism  another. 

42.  Catechist. — But  surely  the  observance  of  the  Lord's 
Day  is  clearly  prescribed  by  the  Fourth  Com- 
mandment ? 

Anstuer. — No.  The  principle  of  setting  apart  a  cer- 
tain proportion  of  our  time  for  direct  acts  of  Worship 
is  prescribed  by  the  Fourth  Commandment,  But  the 
Fourth  Commandment  orders  the  observance,  not  of 
the  first,  but  of  the  seventh,  day  of  the  week.  And 
no  Christian  does  observe  the  seventh  day. 

43.  Question. — But  are  there  not  intimations  in  the 
New  Testament  of  a  special  sanctity  attaching  to 
the  first  day  of  the  week  ? 

Ansioer. — Doubtless  there  are  ;  but  they  are  only 
intimations,  and  all  of  them  put  together  do  not  amount 
to  anything  like  a  moral  obligation.  It  would  appear 
that  our  Blessed  Lord  appeared  to  His  disciples  after 
the  Resurrection  on  the  octave  of  Easter  Day  (that  is, 
the  first  Sunday  after  Easter).  (See  St.  John  xx.  26.) 
From  Acts  xx.  7  we  gather  that  on  the  first  day  of  the 
week  it  was  the  habit  of  the  disciples  at  Troas  to  come 
together  "  to  break  bread."  From  1  Cor.  xvi.  2  we 
infer  that  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  there  was  a  respite 
from  the  week's  work,  and  a  quiet  period  when  its  gains 
might  be  computed.  And  in  Rev.  i.  10  we  read  that 
St.  John,  the  beloved  disciple,  "was  in  the  Spirit,"  and 
received  the  Apocalypse,  "on  the  Lord's  day."  All 
these  passages  have  their  weight  in  showing  that  the 
earliest  Christians  regarded  the  first  day  of  the  week  as 
sacred.  But  there  is  not  a  line  in  Scripture  which 
goes  to  show  that  the  first  day  ought  to  be  substituted  for 
the  seventh,  or  that  the  seventh  need  not  be  observed, 
since  the  first  has  been  appropriated  to  the  purposes  of 
rest  and  worship. 


IX.]  Catechism.  305 

44.  Question. — From  what  source  then  must  this  sub- 

stitution, so  uniformly  acquiesced  in  by  Christians, 

have  come? 
Aiisiuer. — From  a  tradition  of  the  Universal  Church. 
An  instinct  of  the  early  believers  taught  them  that  the 
day  of  the  Resurrection  of  Christ  deserved  to  be  called 
the  queen  of  the  days  of  the  week,  and  that  even  the 
old  legal  day  of  rest  must  not  dispute  with  it  the  pre- 
eminence. And  this  arrangement  has  come  floating 
down  to  our  times  in  the  current  of  tradition. 

45.  Catechist. — But  you  said  that  Infant  Baptism  is 
another  observance  which  we  receive  very  mainly 
on  the  tradition  of  the  Church.     How  is  this  ? 

Amwer. — Because  the  Baptism  of  Infants  is  never 
literally  prescribed  in  the  New  Testament ;  nor  is  any 
instance  of  it  upon  record  there. 

46.  Question. — Is  there  anything  to  be  said  from  Scrip- 

ture in  favour  of  baptizing  Infants  ? 
Answer. — Yes,  a  very  great  deal ;  but  nothing 
amounting  to  actual  prescription.  We  may  observe  that 
there  are  several  whole  households  mentioned  as  re- 
ceiving Baptism,  among  which  it  is  improbable  that 
there  should  have  been  no  children ;  that  St.  Paul  calls 
the  children  of  a  believer  holy  (1  Cor.  vii.  14),  which 
must  at  least  indicate  their  meetness  to  receive  I3aptism, 
oven  if  it  does  not  mean,  as  is  supposed  by  some  early 
commentators,  consecrated  to  God  in  Baptism  by  the 
universal  usage  of  the  Church  ;  that  the  circumstance 
of  our  Lord  having  blessed  little  children  at  so  early 
an  age  that  they  could  be  taken  up  in  His  arms  (see  St. 
-Mark  x.  16)  shows  that  such  children  are  capable  of 
receiving  a  spiritual  blessing ;  and  above  all,  that  under 
the  Old  Testament  dispensation  children  of  eight  days 
old  were  admitted  into  covenant  with  God  (see  Gen. 
xvii.  12,  lo),  and  that  if,  under  the  new  and  better 
dispensation,  this  was  to  be  altered,  the  Apostles,  who 
had  been  reared  in  the  idea  of  a  covenant-relationship 
subsisting  between  God  and  the  youngest  children, 
would  surely  have  warned  us  of  the  change,  and  called 
U 


3o6  Catechism.  [chap. 

our  attention  to  it.  But  all  this  falls  short  of  a  literal 
command  to  baptize  children,  and  of  an  example  of 
their  being  baptized  in  Apostolic  times. 

47.  Question. — How  then  did  the  custom  of  baptizing 
Infants  establish  itself  so  universally  in  the  Church, 
that  no  other  custom  was  heard  of  in  the  early 
ages? 
Answer. — Because  it  was  in  accordance  with  the  in- 
terpretation which  the  early  Church  put  upon  the  New 
Testament,  and  which  was  carried  down  along  the  ages 
in  the  current  of  tradition. 


. — Will  you  now  give  a  brief  summary  of 
what  it  is  sought  to  establish  in  the  Chapter  upon 
which  you  are  being  examined  ? 
Answer. — That  we  cannot  fully  understand  what  we 
read  in  the  Scriptures  "  except  some  man  should  guide  " 
us  into  the  true  meaning  of  them,  and  that  the  appointed 
guide  is  the  Church,  in  her  Creeds  and  Confessions  of 
Faith,  in  her  Formularies  of  Devotion  (which  embody 
a  large  amount  of  doctrinal  teaching),  and  more  par- 
ticularly   in    certain    traditional    interpretations    and 
usages,  which  she  hands  down  to  us  side  by  side  with, 
and  as  a  commentary  upon,  the  text  of  Scripture. 

49.  CatecM-st. — We  have  seen  in  what  sense  the  Church 
is  "  the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth."     But  is 
there  not  also  a  sense  in  which  the  Truth  (that  is, 
the  Holy  Scripture)  is   "  the  pillar  and  ground 
of"  the  Church? 
Ansiver. — Most  assuredly  there  is.     If  Holy  Scrip- 
ture requires  explanation  from  the  Church,  the  Church 
still   more   urgently  requires   explanation  from  Holy 
Scripture.     For,  if  it  were  asked  what  is  the  origin  of 
the    Church,  what  is  the   warrant   for   the    Church's 
authority,  nay,  what  the   very  meaning  of  the  word 
"  Church  "  is,  it  would  be  utterly  impossible  to  answer 
these  questions  without  referring  at  every  step  to  Holy 
Scripture.       The    Church's    title-deeds,    charter,    and 
claims,  the  whole  explanation  of  what  she  is   and  of 
what  she  professes  to  be  and  to  do,  is  to  be  found  in 


IX.]  Catechism.  307 

Scripture,  and  nowhere  else.  Cut  away  Scripture,  and 
you  can  no  longer  give  any  account  of  the  Church's 
existence  and  functions. 

50.   Qucfi(io7i. — "Will  you  then  state  with  great  brevity 
the  respective  functions  of  Holy  Scripture  and  of 
the  Church,  as  they  have  been  exhibited  in  this 
and  the  preceding  Chapter  ? 
Ansivcr. — I  will.     The  Church  is  the  ordained  teacher 
of  Truth  ;  and  the  Holy  Scripture  is  the  only  criterion 
of  Truth,  by  which  every  doctrine  of  the  Church  must 
be  tried,  and    only  accepted  if  found  to  be  in  con- 
formity with  it. 


CHAPTER    X. 

OF  THE  PRAYER-BOOK  AS  A  COMMENTARY 
ON  THE  BIBLE. 

"  "^Therefore,  br£th«n,  stanb  fast,  anb  holb  the  tntbittons 
tohuh  2£  habe  been  taoflht,  tohcthcr  bg  iaorb.  ox  am- 
epistk."— 2  Thess.  II.  15. 

TN  the  last  Chapter  it  was  pointed  out  how  the 
volume  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  has  come  into 
arjje  ncccBsitp  our  hands,  not,  as  I  ventured  to  express  it,  sur- 
fromtoui-     rouudcd  by  a  vacuum,  but  floating  in  an  atmos- 
tnent  ans       phere  of  traditional  sentiments  and  explanations. 
forTftc^uYi'     The  proof  of  this  was  more  largely  developed  in  the 
staniins       case  of  the  Old  Testament  than  in  that  of  the  New. 
tfie  Ncto        But  it  holds   good  almost   equally  of  the  later 
rfstnmrnt.     ^^j^j^-^g      j^q^  ^^-^y  Qj-^g  -^tJ^q  q^^  ^q  gQ  (^^nd  it  de- 
mands some  effort  of  mind)  strip  himself  quite 
bare  in  imagination  of  all  such  help  towards  the 
understanding  of  the  New  Testament  as  is  derived 
from  the  sentiments,  customs,  and  observances 
which  have  actually  obtained  among  Christians. 
Let  him  suppose,  for  example,  that  he  never  had 
intijfnfascncc  been  taught  any  Creed,  never  had  been  present 
"ijc^rnqst  tocu-  at  Divine  Service,  is  not  at  all  aware  how  impor- 
m^n  mffi     tant  texts  of  the  New  Testament  are  understood 
ft"a£S    by  persons  around  him, — and  he  will  surely  see 
mm  vointa.  ^^^^^  almost  impossible  it  would  be  for  him,  even 


cii.  X.]  The  Prayer- Book  and  the  Bible.  309 

■with  the  very  best  intentions,  to  find  out  in  what 
sense  a  great  number  of  things  said  in  the  New 
Testament  were  to  be  taken,  and  how  a  great 
number  of  things,  there  apparently  prescribed,  were 
to  be  done.     We  will  suppose  his  heart  to  have 
been  touched  with  the  simple  and  beautiful  mes- 
sage of  the  Gospel,  which  he  finds  written  with  a 
sunbeam  on  the  pages  of  the  New  Testament,  and 
to  be  sincerely  bent  on  carrying  into  effect  the  com- 
mandments of  Christ,  as  far  as  he  knows  them. 
He  will  see  that  Christ  founded  a  Church,  to  which  saijai  fjc 
he  and  all  men  were  to  belong ;  he  will  read  much  about  th" 
of  the  early  history  of  this  Church  in  the  Acts  of  tfif  ^cto  " 
the  Apostles ;  and  he  will  find  three  Epistles  of  ^'«*^'"'"'- 
the  Apostle  Paul  addressed  to  men  in  the  capacity 
of  Church  rulers  (or,  as  we  should  say,  bishops), 
and   devoted  almost  entirely  to   the  subject  of 
Church  administration.     But  surely  if  he  had  had 
no  experience  of  the  Church  system,  but  were  left 
to  frame  a  system  for  himself  out  of  the  notices 
furnished  by  the  New  Testament,  he  would  be 
very  much  at  a  loss.     He  would  feel  a  great  blanlc 
in  liis  mind  as  to  how  several  instructions,  given 
by  the  Apostle  in  the  Epistles  to  Timothy  and 
Titus,  were  to  be  carried  into  effect,  and  still  more  mtat  \t 
as  to  what  was  to  be  done  on  sundry  points  where  Gnu"  »)«?!— 
there   are   no   instructions.     Are    infants   to   be 
baptized  or  not  ?     That,  at  all  events,  is  a  point  a  ucfinititjc 
of  very  great  interest  and  importance,  on  which  on^t^^ubjrct 
there  seem  to  be  no   absolutely   conclusive   in- Baptism  ;- 
structions.     Did  our  Lord  intend  the  washing  of 
feet  which  He  practised  upon  His  disciples,  and 
might  seem  to  have  enjoined  literally,  when  He 


3 1 0  Of  the  Prayer- Book 


[chap. 


a  tiircciton 
toto  Dur  ILort 
meant  ??i3 
fiamplc  anl) 
prfcfpt  about 
tiic  foot- 
toasijing  to  be 
untirrstooli. 


inquirer 
ttioulli  h3t2ii 
to  fenoin  ^oto 
tlifsc  ant) 
similar  points 
tocrc  untier- 
stoob  bg 
Wit  first" 
CCfjristians. 


Ecfermtc  to 
traditional 
ruirs  anti 
obstrfaancts 
in  thf 

<!FpigtleB  of 
St.  Paul ; 


in  2  3rf)css. 
ii.  15  ; 


13; 


said,  "I  have  given  you  an  example,  that  ye 
should  do  as  I  have  done  to  you,"  to  be  a  perpe- 
tual observance  in  the  Church;  or  did  He  merely 
indicate  the  spirit  of  deep  condescension  and 
Immility,  which  should  animate  His  followers  in 
their  deportment  towards  one  another  ? — I  might 
mention  very  many  more  instances,  in  which  the 
person  supposed  would  wish  for  definite  guidance  ; 
but  let  the  above  suffice.  What  our  supposed  in- 
quirer would  desiderate  would  be,  to  know  how 
the  Christians  who  lived  nearest  to  the  Apostles 
understood  the  instructions  given  by  the  Apostles, 
— what  were  their  customs,  their  observances,  the 
sense  in  which  they  understood  many  things  which 
the  Apostles  taught.  It  is  clearly  indicated  in 
St.  Paul's  Epistles  that  there  were  customs  which 
the  Apostles  themselves  had  set  on  foot,  and 
which  they  wished  the  Churches  of  their  founda- 
tion to  hold  fast  by.  Thus,  for  example,  we 
read  in  the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians, 
"Brethren,  stand  fast,  and,"  as  if  this  were 
a  security,  a  great  moral  holdfast  in  times  when 
"  strong  delusion  "  was  abroad, — "  hold  the  tradi- 
tions which  ye  have  been  taught,  whether  hy 
word,  or  our  epistle ;" — so  that  evidently  there 
were  oral  as  well  as  written  traditions,  which 
it  behoved  Christians  to  hold  fast,  one  of  them 
possibly  being  the  Creed  or  "  form  of  sound 
words  "  itself,  which  it  appears  from  a  passage  of 
St.  Augustine  was  purposely  not  put  into  writing 
in  those  early  days,  lest  it  might  be  used  as  a 
ground  of  accusation  against  the  Christians.  From 
the  next  Chapter,  in  which  he  speaks  of  brethren 


X.]  a  Comnicntary  on  the  Bible.        3 1 1 

in  the  Thessalonian  Church  Avalking  disorderly, 
and  not  after  the  tradition  they  had  received  from  m  2  rhcss. 
him,  it  woukl  appear  that  one  of  these  traditions 
wliich  he  had  delivered  was  of  serious  practical 
import,  being  nothing  less  than  that  every  Chris- 
tian should  work  for  his  own  liveliliood,  and  not 
consider  himself  entitled  to  eat  unless  he  did 
work. — The  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  fur- 
nishes other  instances  of  traditional  instructions 
coming  down  from  the  Apostles  to  the  early 
Church.  We  there  find  St.  Paul  giving  a  rule  for 
the  conduct  of  a  believer  who  happened  to  be 
united  in  marriage  to  a  party  still  a  heathen, — a 
rule  which  he  makes  imperative  on  all  the 
Churches  of  his  foundation  by  the  words,  "  and  so  mi  cor.  fait. 
ordain  I  in  all  churches."  Later,  he  commends  ^^'^^' 
the  Corinthians  for  holding  such  observances  as 
they  had  received  from  him,  from  which  it  would 
seem  that  there  must  have  been  a  considerable 
body  of  them.  "  Now,  I  praise  you,  brethren, 
that  ye  remember  me  in  all  things,  and  keep  the  in  1  Cor.  xt. 
ordinances "  (literally,  the  traditions),  "as  I  ' 
delivered  them  to  you."  He  then  proceeds  to 
issue  a  new  "  ordinance  "  or  traditional  observ- 
ance, that  men  shall  not  appear  covered,  nor 
women  uncovered,  in  the  public  worship  of 
Almighty  God.  While  he  argues  in  favour  of 
tliis  regulation,  he  insists  that  tliose  who  are  not 
convinced  by  his  argument  shall  submit  them- 
selves to  the  universal  custom,  which  had  ob- 
tained in  the  Church.  "  But  if  any  man  seem  to 
be  contentious,  we  have  no  such  custom,  neither  in  t  cor.  li. 
the  churches  of  God."     And  at  the  end  of  this '^' 


.•;i2 


Of  the  Prayer-Book  as       [chap. 


nno  m 
xi.Sil. 


JTJje  being 
poaseasEi 
of  tijeee 
tratiitions 
fajoult)  'at  a 
grrat  f)elp  to 
tije  rist)t 
unUre- 
BtanUing 
of  tfje  Nefa 
GTcstamcnt. 


Sud)  fenoto- 
leOge  can 
onlg  be 
obtained  bg 
otOinarg 
flTtristians 
tijrouglj  tf]C 
Book  of 
crominon 
^ragcr. 


Chapter,  the  remainder  of  which  is  occupied  with 
the  subject  of  the  administration  of  the  Lord's 
Supper,  he  refers  to  several  points  which  needed 
some  authoritative  arrangement  from  him,  but 
which  might  wait  till  the  occasion  of  his  next 
visit  to  them.  "  And  the  rest  will  I  set  in  order 
when  I  come." 

It  is  clear,  then,  that  the  New  Testament  itself 
recognises  certain  traditional  customs,  observances, 
and  precepts  as  having  been  handed  down  by  the 
Apostles,  not  all  of  which,  however,  were  embodied 
in  writing.  And  I  think  it  would  be  felt  by  every 
reverent  and  devout  student,  that  the  being  accu- 
rately possessed  of  these  traditions,  before  by 
lapse  of  time  and  unauthorized  accretions  they 
had  become  corrupted,  would  be  a  great  help  to 
the  right  understanding  of  the  New  Testament. 
But  how  is  it  competent  to  an  ordinary  person, 
with  average  education  and  intelligence,  but  with 
very  limited  time  at  his  command,  and  perhaps 
very  limited  access  to  books,  to  gain  any  such 
knowledge  ?  Such  a  task  might  well  be  the  study 
of  a  life,  and  would  ask  besides  powers  of  research 
and  actual  attainments  in  dead  languages,  which 
fall  to  the  lot  of  very  few.  How  then  may  an 
ordinary  Christian  attain  to  such  a  knowledge  of 
primitive  apostolic  traditions,  as  shall  for  him 
bring  out  and  illustrate  the  divine  teaching  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures  ?  We  English  Churchmen 
have  a  royal  road  to  such  an  attainment.  Our 
Book  of  Common  Prayer  embodies  and  represents 
for  us  aU  these  traditions, — is  a  brief  but  suffi- 
cient digest  of  them.     We  have  no  desire  unduly 


X.]         a  Commentary  on  the  Bible.        313 

to  magnify  this  Book.     Doubtless,  as  being  the 
composition  and  compilation  of  uninspired  men,  ©uaiiGca- 
it  has  its  weak  points.     But  this  is  certain,  that  tooru^ntj"' 
not  only  deep  devotion,  but  profound  theological  [^Jg  Book."^ 
learning, — a   thorough   acquaintance   with  Holy 
Scripture  and  the  writings  of  primitive  Christian 
antiquity, — were  called  into  exercise  both  in  the 
original  draughts  of  the  Prayer-Book  and  in  its 
subsequent  revisions.     And  surely  the  result  has 
justified  all  the  pains  and  all  the  ability  bestowed 
upon  the  work.     It  may  be  very  much  questioned 
whether  there  is  such  another  uninspired  book  sjEfjo  <hf 
in  the  world.     For  the  Reformed  Communions  i3"ro"nbiu°3 
have   not  in  general  adopted  a  liturgy,  prefer-  ""its'^ni)'. 
ring   to  devolve  the  gTeat  duty   of  public   wor- 
ship on  the  Minister  exclusively,  and  to  leave 
him  in  the   conduct   of  it  to   the  guidance   of 
his   own  judgment,  except  so  far  as  a  general 
plan  or  order  of  the  worship  is  concerned.     The 
Eomanist  boasts,  no  doubt,  in  his  Missal  and  his 
Breviary  a  great  deal  that  is  really  ancient  and 
Catholic,  but  it  is  so  laid  over  with  modern  and 
unscriptural  accretions,  with  traditions  of  a  date 
long  subsequent  to  the  Apostles,  and  with  super- 
stitions which  wither  in  the  full  light  of  Scriptural 
truth,  that  their  Office  Books  have  ceased  to  be 
fair  expositions  of  the  way,  in  wliich  the  Church 
of  the  first  and  purest  age  accepted  the  teaching 
it  had  derived  from  the  Apostles.     In  this  state  Dfformrt 
the  old  Service  Books  were,  when  they  fell  into  th"oii3°"  ° 
the  hands  of  the  English  Eeformers — men  of  ripe  cook"  ojhcn 
theological  attainments,  and  who,  while  they  saw  tije'baniis""' 
that  much  in  these  old  Offices  needed  to  be  cut  iufcrmcTB. 


314  0/ the  Prayer- Book  as       [chap. 

away  with  unsparing  hand,  saw  also  an  under- 
lying stratum  of  devotions  which  traced  up  to  a 
very  early  period,  and  which,  since  it  might  justly 
be  regarded  as  a  precious  heritage  bequeathed  to 
the  Church  by  the  Apostles  or  their  successors,  it 
would  be  a  species  of  desecration  to  throw  away. 
So  they  set  themselves  to  purify  and  simplify  the 
Offices  of  the  Church,  thereby  not  only  rejecting 
crests  much  which  would  not  stand  the  tests  they  thought 

Sr^^°  right  to  apply,  but  also  reducing  the  book  to  such 
?tE  taTuabk  a  compass  as  to  put  it  easily  within  the  reach  of 
toS"i)*cB3.  ^^-  Their  tests  were  two  :  first,  Holy  Scripture 
itself,  the  universal  touchstone  and  criterion  for 
distinguishing  between  the  wheat  and  the  chaff, 
the  true  and  the  false.  A  true  tradition,  they 
knew  well,  could  never  be  at  variance  with  Holy 

1.  ??oig        Scripture.     Accordingly,  all  prayers  addressed  to 

ScriptuK.  .    ^  ...        „  ,        °  "^  -^     /.   ,     ,      ,  , 

cijetie&otuins  samts,  all  the  false  homage  which  had  gathered 

not  stanS"  ^  around  relics,  all  references  to  the  cleansing  away 

tbis  test.       ^^  g^^  ■j.^y  purgatorial  fire  in  another  life,  fell  at 

once,  like   so  much  rotten  wood,  beneath  their 

pruning-knife.     Their  second  test  was  Primitive 

2.  yrimitibc  Antiquity  itself.     So  thoroughly  were  they  con- 
niquig.     yjj-^(3g(^  ^]^g^^  ^j^Q  teaching,  manner  of  life,  and  tra- 

(Ecrtaintstfjat  ditions   of  the   Apostles  must  have    percolated 

fi)cap"stiEs  through,  and  found  some   expression  for  them- 

tiprxsa  itself  sclvcs  among  the  members  of  the  Churches  they 

trasitionai     founded,  and  that  these  traditions  might  often 

cTurrtieV''  expand  and  explain  what  the  written  Scripture 

ig^tljem.       gives  us  Only  in  an  obscure  hint,  that  they  sought 

in  the  Fathers  who  lived  nearest  to  the  apostolic 

times  the  counterfeit  presentment  of  that  Church, 

which   was  "built  upon   the   foundation  of  the 


X.]  a  Commentary  on  the  Bible.        315 

apostles  and  propliets,"  and  endeavoured  to  con- 
struct our  Offices  on  that  model.     And  the  result 
is  (to  use  the  language  of  the  late  Professor  Blunt, 
who  has  touched  this  subject  with  a  master's  hand), 
that  "  the  Prayer-Book  is  a  book  sui  generis.    We  yrofrssor 
have  no  other  of  the  same  kind,  or  like  it ;  it  is  pancsjoric  on 
not  an  author's,  a  publisher's,  and  a  bookseller's  cool""" 
affair ;  it  is  the  voice  of  the  ancient  Church  ex- 
pressed upon  the  highest  matters ;  and  so,  not 
improbably,  that  of  the  Founder  of  that  Church ; 
God's  will,  not  in  this  instance  only,  but  in  almost 
all  instances,  having  to  be  sought  out  of  them  that 
love  Him,  through  some  difficulty,  obscurity,  un- 
certainty, and  doubt."     But  whether  or  not  men 
agree  with  the  high  estimate  of  the  Prayer-Book 
expressed  in  this  passage,  I  suppose  it  will  not  be  iccctssitD  of 
denied  that  it  gives  a  certain  tone  to  the  teaching  that  tbc 
of  Holy  Scripture,  which  it  professes  to  represent  stfats  a 
and  expound — surrounds  that  teaching  with  an  [rtbcVoio 
atmosphere   of  a  certain  description — throws  it  anTfnsfnu; 
into  a  certain  definite  mould.    No  book  of  Offices  butoVnt.^'" 
could  by  possibility  do  otherwise.     The  spirit  of 
a  man's  theology  expresses  itself  necessarily  in 
the  prayers  and  praises  which  he  employs,  and 
might  be  sufficiently  gathered  from  the  tenor  of  xo  utboiionai 
those  prayers  and  praises.     ^Moreover,  the  rites  for^ribatt  of 
and  ceremonies  which  a  book  of  Offices  must  pre-  nwrn'tf^j' 
scribe,  are  not  things  indifferent.     They  express  fcrforU^' 
and  convey  doctrine,  and  win  an  entrance  for  it  LbUabiD" 
into  the  mind.     Any  directory  for  worship  would  Cttmc. 
infallibly  do  this,  whether  its  spirit  was  primitive 
and  truly  Catholic,  or  the  reverse ;  and  think  not 
that  the  saving  truths  of  the  Scripture  could  be 


3 1 6  ^f  ^^^^  Prayer-Book  as       [chap. 

apprehended  at  all,  or  apprehended  in  their  true 

significance,  except  through  some  such  medium. 

an  atmos-     The  atmosphere,  which  wraps  round  the  earth,  is 

fssentiai  fo     esscutial  to  the  life  and  beauty  of  the  forms  which 

ttelifcanli  ,         _      "{ 

teautjj  of      are  seen  on  the  earth.     Earth  and  earthly  crea- 

rartfj;       '  turcs  have  their  being  in  this  atmosphere.     Ee- 

move  it,  and  the  earth  is  made  over  to  barrenness, 

solitude,  and  death ;  the  landscape  withers ;  and 

no  more  softening  tints  and  hues  are  thrown  over 

it.     But  while  an  atmosphere  is  essential,  it  may 

tobiif,  in       of  course  become  noxious.     It  may  be  charged 

tiitions"i)c    with  poisonous  exhalations ;  it  may  be  obscured, 

mfvht  "^'     and  transmit  the  light  of  heaven  with  difficulty ; 

icairratijEt    it  may  be  heavy  and  oppressive,  and  wanting  in 

transparency.    And  such  was  the  condition  of  the 

ecclesiastical  atmosphere,  which  wrapped  round  the 

volume  of  the  Scriptures  at  the  period  before  the 

Koiiqus       Eeformation.     It  was  rendered  heavy  and  oppres- 

atmosptnrc    sive  by  old  and  effete  superstitions;  it  was  ren- 

farappcu       dered  opaque  by  a  mass  of  unauthorized  traditions, 

scripturra  at  which  hindered  the  blessed  light  of  evangelical 

JScformaiion.  truth  from  Streaming  through ;  it  was  rendered 

noxious  by  elements  of  anti-Scriptural  practice 

and  doctrine  which  did  actual  spiritual  miscliief 

©Hectoftfje  So  our  Eeformers  set  themselves  to  work,  not  to 

purifH  i\)t      dispense  with  an  atmosphere  altogether  (as  those 

nottouis-'    weU-meaning  but  unthinking  people  would  do, 

"  "^   '    ' '  who  plead  for  the  Bible  alone  without  note  and 

comment),  but  to  purify  the  existing  atmosphere, 

to  make  it  salubrious,   quickening,  transparent, 

and  transmissive  of  the  true  light.     The  result  of 

their  labours   is   the  Book  of  Common  Prayer, 

which  we  maintain  to  be  a  beautiful,  pure,  primi- 


X.]  a  Commentary  on  the  Bible.        3 1 7 

tive  medium  for  the  transmission  of  evangelical 
truth,  and  of  wliich  the  eminent  author  above 
quoted  says,  in  another  passage  of  an  admirable 
sermon  called  "  An  Apology  for  the  Prayer-Book ;" 
"  The  book  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  code  of  primi- 
tive tradition,  wliich  helps  to  the  full  interpreta- 
tion of  the  Bible,  expressing  what  may  be  there  ^Mt  efac  ftcips 
hinted,  enlarging  what  may  be  there    succinct,  ^raorr-eooft 
illustrating  what  may  be  there  obscure,  concen-  fuii  inttt- 
trating  what  may  be  there  dispersed,  organizing  ttje  Bible, 
what  may  be  there  promiscuous."     It  may  be,  I 
think,  interesting  and  instructive  to   give  brief 
instances  of  the  different  ways  here  pointed  out, 
in  which  the  Prayer-Book  helps  to  the  full  inter- 
pretation of  the  Bible. 

\st,  then.  It  eiyrcsses  ichat  is  there  hinted.    The  ist.  Eiprcss- 
question  about  the  propriety  of  Infant  Baptism,  in  It^c  tintrt. 
favour  of  which  the  Scripture   gives  the   three 
pregnant  hints  of  Circumcision  (whereby  children  (Question  of 
were  admitted  into  Covenant  with  God  at  eight  0/ j^^nV^*" 
days  old) ;   "  Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  fmcrt'bD  tfic 
me,  and  forbid  them  not,"  etc. ;  and  the  instances  ^n"b°"^°°'' 
of  several  households  being  baptized, — is  in  the  f^'^^una"" 
Prayer-Book  set  at  rest.    The  Baptism  of  Infants,  ug^g?'"*" 
and  their  speedy  Baptism,  without  unnecessary 
delay,  is  there  definitively  ordered.    And  the  order 
is  in  accordance  with  the  most  primitive  apostolic 
traditions.    Justin  Martyr,  a  heathen  philosopher, 
l)orn  at  Sichem,  in  Samaria,  who  became  a  convert 
to  Christianity  in  the  earlier  half  of  the  second 
century,  and  who  might  nearly  have  seen  St.  John, 
writes  as  follows  in  his  first  Apology : — "  Several 
persons  among  us  of  sixty  and  seventy  years  old,  of 


3 1 8  Of  the  Prayer-Book  as       [chap. 

3usiii\'s        both  sexes,  %oho  were,  made  disciples  of  Christ  from 
«hf  Baptism   their  childhood,  do  continue  uncorrupted."     Here 

of  ffiiltirni  m    .  '^ 

f)is  Haps  it  appears  quite  incidentally,  that  several  persons 
existed  in  Justin's  time  who  had  been  baptized  as 
children ;  for  the  word  translated  "  made  disciples" 
is  the  very  same  as  that  which  our  Lord  uses  in 
St.  Matthew's  Gospel,  when  He  bids  the  Apostles 
"  go  and  make  disciples  of  all  nations,  by  baptizing 
them  in  the  Name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Justin  flourished  about 
the  year  a.d.  140  ;  and  therefore  the  persons  of  sixty 
or  seventy  years  old  in  his  time,  who  had  been 
baptized  as  children,  must  have  received  Baptism 
before  the  end  of  the  first  century,  and  therefore 

makes  it       while  St.  John  (at  all  events)  was  alive.    Is  it  for  a 

almost  certain  •      i  i       ,  ,  .  ■■  ■,  , 

tJ)at  tfje        moment  conceivable  that  this  could  have  been  the 

practice  must  ,  i        »  ti     i      i  .         -, 

ta&c  ftan  iht   case,  unless  the  Apostles  generally  had  sanctioned 

ttc  apostles.  Infant  Baptism  ?  And  is  it  conceivable  that  they 
could  have  sanctioned  it,  if  it  had  not  been  in 
complete  conformity  with  the  mind  of  their  Divine 
Master, —possibly  intimated  by  Him  so  to  be  in 
the  course  of  those  great  Forty  Days  between  the 
Eesurrection  and  Ascension,  during  which  He 
spake  to  them  of  "  the  things  pertaining  to  the 
kingdom  of  God  "? 

2.  tirniarmng      2.  Enlarfjiug  ivhat  may  he  there  succinct.     St. 

succinft. ''"'^  John  teaches  in  the  Eevelation  that  aU  Chris- 
tians, not  the  clergy  only,  are  priests: — "Unto 

Oe  priest-     Him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins 

tiool]  of  trie       .  . 

flrtjristian      in  His  owii  blood," — an  allusion  probably  to  the 

ni5ct)'6o  St.    laver  in  the  Tabernacle,  in  which  the  priests  washed 

their  hands  and  feet  before  sacrificing — "  and  hath 

made  us  kings  and  j^nc-sts."     His  colleague,  St. 


X,]  a  Commentary  on  the  Bible.       3 1 9 

Peter,   expands    this    designation,    speaking    of  »t.  J^ctn, 
Christians  as  "  an  holy  priesthood,"  designed  "  to 
offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices,  acceptable  to  God  by- 
Jesus   Christ."     And    in    a    somewhat    obscure 
passage,   to    be    adverted   to   more   fully  under 
the  next  head,  St.  Paul  speaks  of  one  "  occu-  anti  niso  bo 
pying  the  room  of  the  unlearned"  (strictly,  of 
the  private,  non-official,  unprofessional  person), 
saying  "Amen  "  at  the  close  of  a  thanksgiving,  as 
if  there  were  some  definite  part  for  a  Christian 
layman  to  play  in  the  Church's  worship.     Now 
the  Prayer-Book  beautifully  developes  and  expands  z^tzt 
what  is  stated  succinctly  in  these  passages  of  the  ripaHscTbu 
New  Testament.     It  gives  to  the  Christian  laity  '^oof  Jtoblcfj 
a  large  share  in  the  Services  of  the  Church,  thus  f^^f^afto^a 
recognising  their  priestly  functions.     Sometimes  f,fti,Tsc?bkts 
they  are  to  say  words  after  the  Minister,  as  if  soSS'S' 
guided  by  him ;  sometimes  together  tvith  him,  as  J^cm  to%m 
if  belonging  to  one  and  the  same  family ;  often  fiJ'SiSkr 
they  are  to  respond  to  him,  not  merely  by  the  j,^  ^^^^mS 
repetition  of  "  Amen,"  but  by  distinct  prayers  and  ^^'^uthns 
suffrages    of   their  own,  intermixed  with    those  -n^tS'^tir 
which  he  is  directed  to  offer.     So  that  in  our  '"°"'''- 
public  worship    there  is  "a  room"  and  sphere 
marked  out  for  the  unprofessional  private  person 
(or  Christian  layman),  which  he  is  entitled  to 
"occupy."     And  I  should  add  that  this  is  the 
case  in  all  the  ancient  Liturgies,  the  use  of  which 
may  be  traced  back  to  a  period  h  iig  antecedent 
to  the  putting  forth  of  any  Papal  claims.     All 
give  the  people  a  very  material  part  in  the  Office 
of  the  Holy  Communion,— a  circumstance  wonder- 
fully illustrating  the  slight  hint  given  by  St.  Paul 


320  Of  the  Prayer-Book  as       [chap. 

(Tfieiiflbt  where  he  speaks  of  "the  cup  of  blessing  which 
an  incifiS  WE  blcss ;"  "  the  bread  which  we  break,"  as  if  all 
sf/iauiV  the  congregation,  no  less  than  the  Minister,  had 
tf)c  facHbal  their  share  and  function  in  the  blessing  and  the 
lEitursks'^''"*  breaking.  It  is  obvious  that  among  Christian 
?o1^£"p«pif '  bodies  which  provide  no  form  of  prayer  for  public 
ira^o  "nf  worship,  there  can  be  no  "  room  "  for  the  layman 
ffoSnion.  ^0   "  occupy,"    bcyond    the   mere    expression    of 

assent  by  the  final  Aitun. 
3.  mtustrat-         3.    Illustrating    what    may    he    there    obscure. 
ttcrc  obscure.  The  tcxt  about  the  final  Amen  is  by  no  means 
a  clear  one,  as  it  stands  in  the  original,  though  the 
difficulty  of  it  is  considerably  aggravated  to  a 
reader  of  the  English  version  only.     St.  Paul  is 
arguing  against  the  use  of  an  unknown  tongue  in 
(©bscuriig      public  worship,  and  his  words  are ;  "  Else  "  (that  is, 
about  ttc       if  thou  shalt  use  an  unknown  tongue  when  officiat- 
ti)g^^ins  of  ing  in  the  congregation)  "  when  thou  shalt  bless 
ttanfts         ^-^1^  ^l^g  spirit "  (pronounce  the  words  of  blessing 
in  a  devotional  rapture,  but  in  language  unintel- 
ligible to  any  but  thyself)  "how  shall  he  that 
occupieth  the  room  of  the  unlearned  "  (the  Chris- 
tian layman)  "  say   the  Amen  at  thy  giving  of 
thanks  ?"  (literally,  at  thy  "  Eucharist,"  for  such  is 
the  sound,  as  well  as  the  sense,  of  the  word  in  the 
cicarrt  up  bu  original).     All  difficulty  is  immediately  removed 
account  of  a    from  this  passage  by  referring  to  the  account  given 
cfktMration.     by  Justin  of  primitive  celebrations  of  the  Lord's 
Supper.      He   makes   mention  of  the    Church's 
meeting  at  the  same  place,  on  the  day   called 
the  day  of  the  Sun,  and  of  the  writings  of  the 
Apostles    and    Prophets    being    read,   and   of  a 
sermon  from  the  president  of  the  assembly,  which 


X.]  a  Connncntary  on  the  Bible.        321 

followed   this   reading,   and    of  prayers    for   all 

conditions  of  men, — "  after  which  bread  and  a  cup 

"  of  wine  and  water  are  brought  to  the   Presi- 

"  dent  of  the  brethren,  M'hich  he  takes,  and  offers 

"  up  praise  and  glory  to  the  Father  of  all  things, 

"  through  the  name  of  His  Son  and  of  the  Holy  jpanicuiara 

"  Spirit ;  and  this  thanksgiving  to  God  for  deeming  account. 

"  us  worthy  of  His  gifts  is  a  prayer  of  more  than 

"  ordinary  length.   When  the  president  has  finished 

"  the  prayers  and  the  tlianksgiving  service,  all  the 

"  people  present  signify  their  assent  with  an  audible 

"  voice,  saying.  Amen.     Now  Amen  in  the  Hebrew 

"  tongue  means, '  So  be  it.' "     And  again,  further 

on :  "  After  prayers,  bread  and  wine  and  water  are 

offered,  and  the  president,  as  I  said  before,  sends 

up  prayers  and  thanksgivings  with  all  the  fervour 

he  is  able,  and  the  people  conclude  all  with  the 

joyful  acclamation  ofAmeri;  then  the  consecrated 

elements  are  distributed  to,  and  partaken  of  by, 

each  person  that  is  present."    And  he  adds, "  This 

food  is  called  among  us  the  Eucharist."     I  need 'aFucimnsf 

hardly  remark   how  very  near   the    Eucharistic  namf"to' ' 

Service  of   our   Prayer-Book   comes   to  Justin's  soiV 

description,  in  which  we  have  the  Epistle  and 

Gospel,  the  Sermon,  the  Oblation  of  the  Bread  and  riif  orun-  of 

Wine,  the  Prayer  for  the  Church  j\Iilitant  (which  miimon 

is  certainly  a  prayer  for  all  conditions  of  men),  similar  to"" 

and  the  Prayer  of  Consecration  (still,  as  in  those  is  ucacTibta 

days,  a  prayer  of  more  than  ordinary  length),  with  "^  '"^"" 

its  concluding  Amen,  and  immediately  afterwards 

the  distribution  of  the  elements.     Here,  then,  is 

an  instance  in  which  an  obscure  passage  of  the 

New  Testament  derives  full  illustration  from  a 


32  2  Of  the  Praycr-Book  as        [chap. 

surviving  description  of  the  Eucharistic  rite,  as 
celebrated  in  the  middle  of  the  second  century, 
the  leading  features  of  which  description  are  all 
reproduced  in  our  own  Office. 
bating  tohat       "^^  Concentrating   what  may   he  there  dispersed. 
istbfri-         I   cannot    give    a    better   instance  of  this   than 
the  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  a  doctrine  of 
supreme  importance,  as  set  forth  in  the  Creeds 
and  formularies  of  our  Church.     In  Holy  Scrip- 
ture that  doctrine  lies  about  in  scattered  frag- 
riic  tioctrine  mcuts,  but  is  ucvcr  reduced  to  method  or  stated 
jTrinito   "    Systematically.      In    one    place   we    find    Christ 
sfbfrai  places  addressing  His  Father  in  prayer,  showing  that 
scrip°urf.      He  and  the  Father  are  distinct  persons ;  in  an- 
(Ehurcbftas    othcr  distinctly  declaring,  "I  and  My  Father  are 
onctois." "  one,"  showing  the  unity  between  these  Persons ; 
in  a  third,  promising  to  send  the  Holy  Spirit, 
thus  establishing  another  distinction  of  personality 
in  the  Godhead.     These  and  many  similar  notices 
of  Holy  Scripture  are  pieced  together  and  brought 
into  one  view  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  as  it 
is  stated  in  our  Confessions  of  Faith  and  Articles  ; 
and  those  who  wish  to  see  how  each  separate 
position,  which  goes  to  make  up  the  great  doctrine, 
is  by  itself  provable  from  Holy  Writ,  have  only 
to  refer  to  the  very  compendious  tractate  of  Jones 
of  Nayland  on  the  subject. 
5.  ©rgnnii-        5.  Finally,  Organizing  lohat  may  he  there  promis- 
thmpni'^    cuous.     Take  the  Ordinal  as  an  example,  which  is 
prefaced  thus : — "  It  is  evident  unto  all  men  dili- 
gently reading   the  holy  Scripture  and  ancient 
Authors,  that  from  the  Apostles'  time  there  have 
been  these  Orders  of  Ministers  in  Christ's  Church  ; 
Bishops,  Priests,  and  Deacons." 


iiusruoiis. 


X.]         a  Commentary  on  the  Bible.        323 

Yes  !  it  is  evident  to  persons  reading  the  Scrip-  5:1,^  teat,-, 
tures  in  the  light  of  "  ancient  Authors  ;"  for  at  a  l"a''natnt 
very  early  period  of  the  Church's  histoiy  we  find  Jhernafmlt 
the   threefold    Ministry  germinating  and  taking  J^f^^^'" 
shape.      Then,  looking  into  the  volume  of  the 
New  Testament,  we  find  what  is  there  introduced 
incidentally  and  promiscuously  reduced  to  method. 
Putting  aside  terminology  (for  we  look  to  things 
rather  than  to  names),  we  find  Timothy  and  Titus  cbc 
set  over  the  elders  (or  presbyters)  of  the  Church  SananTfor 
in  their  respective  provinces,  with  a  charge  to  ^t'^aouglit  m 
censure  them,  if  need  were — to  reward  them,  if  connaions. 
their  services  deserved  it.     Then  we  have  the  Sfnapirtu 
earlier  notice  in  the  Acts  of  an  institution  of  a  ^  "'"'"'• 
subordinate  class  of  Ministers  for  th^  lower  and 
more   secular   functions   of  the    Church,   and   a 
reference  in  the  Epistles  to  some  such  subordinate 
class,  under  the  name  of  "  Deacons."     And  going 
back  still  further  to  our  Lord's  own  lifetime,  we 
find  Him  sending  forth,  not  only  twelve  Apostles, 
but  also  seventy  Disciples,  whose   mission  and 
powers    very    much    resembled    those    of    the 
Apostles.     The  Prayer-Book  throws  these  notices 
into  shape  for  us.     We  find  little  more  than  the 
scattered  germs  of  the  threefold  Ministry  in  the 
Scripture  ;  but  in  the  system  of  the  Church,  which 
is  or  should  be  a  living  illustration  and  exemplifi- 
cation of  Scripture,  these  germs  are  collected  and 
developed, — "the  promiscuous  is  organized." 

And  now  the  task,  which  I  have  in  this  work 
proposed  to  myself,  approaches  its  completion.  I 
know  not  what  better  concludim:  advice  to  draw 


324  Of  the  Prayer- Book  as       [chap. 

from  a  summary  retrospect  of  it  than  that,  in  these 
days  of  fermenting  thought  and  diverging  opinion, 
my  readers  should  take  the  Holy  Scriptures,  as  in- 
terpreted by  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  for  their 
The  practical  guidc  in  controverted  points,  on  the  ground  that 
floto^frnm^''  the  latter  book  is  really  the  voice  of  the  Primitive 
l,cn  °of  tt""  Church,  fulfiUing  her  function  of  a  pillar  of  the 
toboicaufijtct.  ^^Qyy^  ^jj(j  Qf  |]j.g^  guiding  into  the  meaning  of 
God's  truth,  and  illustrating   it.     I  would   say, 
with  all  the  earnestness  which  such  a  counsel 
demands  ; — "  If  the  Bible  approves  itself  to  you 
as  the  Word  of  God  by  the  strange  unearthly 
force  with  which  it  appeals  to  your  conscience, 
and  the  deep  chords  which  it  strikes   in   your 
qpft  an  cnu  of  affcctions ;  .and  if  it  has  been  at  all  satisfactorily 
ff°soug^})"iia  proved  to  your  reason  that  the  Book  of  Common 
taSfr^-lso'o'k  Prayer  does,  on  the  whole,  represent  with  great 
p^ftaiian  of    fidelity  that  guidance  of  the  Church,  which  God 
tbe  JSibif.      ^,^2  jjqI^  have  any  of  us  ignore  or  dispense  with, 
then  let  this  be  to  you  an  end  of  controversy  on 
all  controverted  points  ;  and,  leaving  endless  ques- 
tions, and  the  strifes  which  they  gender,  abandon 
yourselves  to  the  far  more  safe  and  salutary  work 
of  quietly  growing  in  grace  and  in  the  knowledge 
of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.     You  are 
Cucstiona,     quite  sufficiently  secured  against  serious  contro- 
^•ap'tancE      versial  and  doctrinal  mistakes  by  holding  fast  to 
a?«Jt.''mai    the  teaching  of  Bible  and  Prayer-Book  ;  any  reli- 
opcn^fo^/tbc'   gious   questions,  which   Bible   and   Prayer-Book 
present.        \^Q^  leave  open,  may  safely  be  left  open  till  we 
arrive  at  that  better  state,  when  we  shall  know 
Dcsirabitncas  cvcu  as  also  WO  are  known.     Too  apt  are  we,  far 
CoiUromBfi.  too  apt,  to  take  up  with  controversial  subjects,  as 


X.]  a  Commentaiy  on  the  Bible.        325 

affording  an  easy  escape  from  those  great  prac- 
tical and  personal  questions  which  are  our  only 
real  concern,  and  as  furnishing  to  our  own  con- 
sciences some  sort  of  evidence  of  an  interest  in  nanflrr  of 
religion.     '  Settle  the  controversy  between  us  and  off"bqarra" 
the  Jews  as  to  the  right  place  of  worship,'  said  [ont'rVb'ABiai 
the  Samaritan  woman  to  the  Saviour,  flinching  a,°6"'p?"tu''car' 
from  the  probe  which  those  words  of  His  omni-  ?Xr'w6  *' 
science   had  applied  to   her  conscience;   '  Thou  |',°t'Sj7man  "^ 
hast  had  five  husbands;  and  he  whom  thou  now  "^ *=""^'^''''- 
hast  is  not   thy   husband.'      How   marvellously 
true  to  nature !     The  personal  and  really  momen- 
tous is  evaded,  shunned,  put  aside  for  a  more 
convenient  season ;  the  conscience  shall  take  up 
with  inquiries  about  something  more  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  field  of  theology;  and  interest  ahout 
religion  is  substituted  for  interest  in  it.     '  Sir,  I 
perceive  that  you  are  a  minister;  tell  me — not  how 
I  shall  love  the  Lord  more  sincerely,  or  follow 
Him  more  faithfully,  or  prize  at  a  higher  rate  His 
inappreciable  and  glorious  salvation  ;  but  whether 
the  priest  should  stand,  in  celebrating  the  Com- 
munion, looking  due  south  or  due  east,  or  neither, 
perhaps,  but  south-east,  and  whether  tlie  preacher 
should  appear  in  a  black  robe  or  a  white  one.' 
Without  at  all  wishing  to  depreciate  reverence  in 
small  things,  or  to  put  out  of  sight  our  Lord's 
solemn  warning  that  '  he  that  is  faithful  in  that 
which  is  least  is  faithful  also  in  much,'  I  still 
must  take  the  liberty  to  think  that  these,  and  the 
like  of  these,  are  not  the  questions  which  should 
be   allowed   to   occupy   much   of  our  time  and 
thoughts.     Many  of  us  are  far  past  the  prime  of 


326 


Catechism. 


[CHAr. 


life ;  and  those  who  are  not  cannot  count  with 
any  certainty  on  having  much  time  to  spare  as 
regards  the  work  of  their  salvation.  Let  us  put 
away  our  controversies  (specially  as  we  have  a 
ready  means  of  solving  all  the  really  momentous 
ones),  and  address  ourselves  to  the  work  of  living 
nearer  to  God.  We  have  minds  that  crave  for 
light;  hearts  that  hunger  for  love  and  for  solid 
satisfying  good;  and  there  is  in  Christ's  Gospel 
abundant  provision  both  for  mind  and  heart.  Be 
it  ours  to  endeavour  to  turn  this  provision  to 
account,  and  to  study  day  by  day  how  we  may 
be  'rooted  and  grounded  in  love/  and  '  be  able  to 
comprehend  with  all  saints  what  is  the  breadth, 
and  length,  and  depth,  and  height;  and  to  know 
the  love  of  Christ,  which  passeth  knowledge,  that ' 
we  may  '  be  filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God.' " 


dTabfhism  on  Clha^j.  <£. 


1.  Question. — Upon  what  are  we  all  dependent  for  an 

understanding  of   many  points  contained  in   the 

New  Testament? 
Answer. — Upon  traditional  explanations,  which  have 
come  down  to  us  side  by  side  with  the  text  of  Holy 
Scripture. 

2.  Question. — What  is  the  best  mode  of  bringing  home 

to  ourselves  our  need  of  these  explanations  ? 
Ansiver. — To  imagine  ourselves  entirely  destitute  of 
all  such  help. 

3.  Question. — What  sort  of  particulars  should  we  have 

to   imagine,  in   order   to   put   ourselves    in    the 
required  position  ? 


X.]  Catechism.  327 

Answer. — We  should  have  to  suppose  that  we  had 
never  learned  a  Creed  or  Confession  of  Faith  ;  that  we 
had  never  attended  a  Christian  Service  ;  that  we  were 
utterly  ignorant  how  persons  around  us  understood  the 
doctrines  and  precepts  given  by  Christ  and  His  Apostles, 
and  how  they  attempted  to  put  them  in  practice. 

4.  Question. — Are  there  not  then  sufficient  materials  in 

the  New  Testament  itself  for  forming  a  judgment 
on  all  matters  connected  with  the  Church  ? 
A7iswer. — The  New  Testament  would  by  itself  teach 
us  that  Christ  founded  a  Church,  and  called  all  men 
into  it.  It  would  also  give  us  all  necessary  instruction 
on  the  Sacraments  of  the  Church.  It  also  records  the 
history  of  the  Church  in  its  earliest  period,  and  the 
progress  which  it  made  under  the  preaching  of  St.  Paul, 
until  the  Gospel  was  planted  in  the  Metropolis  of  the 
heathen  world.  And  moreover  we  find  in  it  Epistles 
addressed  by  that  Apostle  to  rulers  (or  bishops)  of  the 
Church  in  their  official  capacity,  directing  them  in  many 
particulars  of  their  administration,  and  giving  an  insight 
into  the  internal  condition  of  the  Churches  over  which 
they  presided.  That  these  instructions  would  form  in 
our  mind  a  sufficient  idea  of  what  those  Churches  were, 
and  of  what  the  Apostle  would  have  all  Churches  to  be, 
must  be  admitted.  But  there  are  many  points  (and 
some  of  no  small  importance),  on  which  we  should  be 
still  quite  at  a  loss,  if  left  to  iframe  a  system  of  Church 
administration  for  ourselves  out  of  the  New  Testament, 
without  any  help  whatever  from  traditional  comments, 
sentiments,  and  usages. 

5.  Question. — Will  you  mention  any  such  points  which 

occur  to  you  ? 
Aiiswer. — Although,  as  I  have  showed  in  a  previous 
examination  (p.  305),  we  might  reasonably  gather  from 
the  Scriptures  that  infants  should  be  admitted  into  the 
Church  by  Baptism,  and  although  the  whole  of  the  Scrip- 
tural evidence  leans  in  this  direction,  yet  on  observing 
that  penitence  and  faith  are  made  by  the  Apostles  and 
their    companions   qualifications   for    this   Sacrament, 


328  Catechism.  [chap. 

("  Repmt,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  remission  of  sins"  (Acts 
ii.  38) ;  "  T/  thou  helievest  with  all  thine  hearty  thou 
mayest  "  [be  baptized]  (Acts  viii.  37) ; )  and  that  our 
Lord  Himself  places  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  and 
the  believing  of  it  before  Baptism,  ("Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.  He 
that  helieveth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved  "  (St.  Mark 
xvi.  15, 16))  ;  a  doubt  might  reasonably  arise  as  to  the 
propriety  of  administering  the  Rite  to  those  who  can 
neither  hear  the  Gospel,  nor  exercise  repentance  and 
faith.  But  when  we  find  that  the  Christians  of  the 
earliest  ages  baptized  the  infant  children  of  believers, 
and  that  this  practice  was  universally  accepted  and 
adopted  without  question  down  to  a  very  late  period  of 
the  Church's  history,  this  traditional  usage  settles  a 
point  which  might  be  otherwise  considered  doubtful. 
If  Christians  of  the  earliest  ages  understood  the  Bap- 
tismal precept  in  such  a  manner  that  it  embraced 
infants,  it  must  have  been  the  mind  of  Christ's  Apostles, 
and  therefore  of  Christ,  that  they  should  be  baptized. 

6.  Catechist. — Give  any  other  instance  of  a  question 

which  must  receive  its  settlement  from  something 

outside  the  New  Testament  itself. 
Ansiver. — The  account  of  the  foot-washing,  which 
Christ  not  only  practised  but  prescribed  on  the  night 
of  the  Last  Supper,  might  raise  such  a  question.  It 
might  reasonably  be  thought  that  He  meant  it  to  be  a 
perpetual  observance  or  Ordinance  of  the  Church  (like 
Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper),  if  it  were  not  that  the 
Church  has  never  so  accepted  His  words ;  "  If  I  then, 
your  Lord  and  Master,  have  washed  your  feet ;  ye  also 
ought  to  ivash  one  another's  feet.  For  I  have  given  you 
an  example,  that  ye  should  do  as  I  have  done  to  you. 
Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  The  servant  is  not 
greater  than  his  lord ;  neither  he  that  is  sent  greater 
than  he  that  sent  him.  If  ye  know  these  things,  happy 
are  ye  if  ye  do  them  "  (St.  John  xiii.  14,  15,  16,  17). 

7.  Catechist. — You  say  that  the  Church   has   never  so 


X.]  Catechisjii.  3?9 

accepted  the   words.     But   has   not  our   Lord's 

action  received  a  literal  imitation  in  certain  parts 

of  the  Church  ? 

Answer. — No  doubt  it  has.     The  Pope  on  Maunday- 

Thursday  still  washes  the  feet  of  pilgrims  in   imitation 

of  our  Lord's  action.     And  the  sovereigns  of  England 

have  done  the  same,  even  since  the  Reformation.     And 

it  was  customary  in  many  monasteries  of  old  for  the 

abbot  to   wash   the    feet   of  the   brethren.     But  the 

Church  has  never  accepted  this  precept   of  Christ  as 

prescribing   an    Ordinance    or    perpetual    observance, 

though  it  has  been  customary  among  some  great  ones 

of  the  earth  to  copy  literally  our  Lord's  example. 

8.  Cateohist. — You  have  given  instances  of  questions, 

which  a  thoughtful  perusal  of  the  New  Testament 
might  raise  in  the   mind,  but   to  which   it  would 
furnish  no  answer.     What  knowledge,  if  we  could 
obtain  it,  would  set  at  rest  such  questions  ? 
Ansioer. — The  knowledge  how  the  primitive  Chris- 
tians understood  the  instructions  given   them  by  the 
Apostles,  and  what  were  the  usages  and  observances, 
which  had  sprung  up  among  them  during  the  lifetime, 
and  under  the  government,  of  the  Apostles. 

9.  Question. — How  do  you  know  that  there  were  un- 

written traditions,  both  of  doctrine  and  practice, 

in  the  Apostolic  Church  ? 
Ansiver. — Because  we  read  of  such  traditions  in  St. 
Paul's  Epistles.  In  2  Thess.  ii.  15  he  thus  exhorts 
his  Thessalonian  converts  ;  "  Therefore,  brethren,  stand 
fast,  and  hold  the  traditions  lohich  ye  have  been  taught, 
xvhethcr  by  word,  or  our  epistle." 

10.  Question. — Why  were  the  traditions  here  referred 

to  in  all  probability  doctrinal  ? 
Ansiver. — Because  the  Apostle  had  been  speaking 
in  the  earlier  part  of  the  Chapter  about  "  that  man  of 
sin,"  "that  Wicked"  one,  "whose  coming  is  after  the 
working  of  Satan  with  all  power  and  signs  and  lying 
wonders,  and  all  deceivableness  of  unrighteousness  in 
them  that  perish  ;  because  they  received  not  the  love  of 


330  Catechism.  [cHAr. 

the  truth ^  that  they  might  be  saved.  And  for  this  cause 
God  shall  send  them  strong  delusion^  that  they  should 
believe  a  lie :  that  they  all  might  be  damned  who 
believed  not  the  truth,  but  had  pleasure  in  unright- 
eousness" (1  Thess.  ii.  3,  8,  9 — 13).  He  is  putting 
them  on  their  guard  then  against  doctrinal  error,  since 
he  speaks  of  "strong  delusion,"  "believing  a  lie," 
"  not  believing  the  truth,"  and  so  forth.  And  there- 
fore probably  the  traditions,  which  he  exhorts  them  to 
cling  to  as  a  moral  hold-fast,  were  doctrinal, — very  pos- 
sibly the  Creed  itself,  or  a  summary  of  the  chief  things 
to  be  believed. 

1 1 .  Qtcestion. — Can  you  give  any  instance  of  a  tradi- 
tion of  practice  ? 
Anstver. — Such  a  tradition  is  referred  to  in  the  Chap- 
ter following  that  which  has  just  been  quoted  (2  Thess. 
iii.  6);  "Now  we  command  you,  brethren,  in  the  name 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  ye  withdraw  yourselves 
from  every  brother  that  walketh  disorderly,  and  not 
after  the  tradition  which  he  received  of  us."  And 
he  then  goes  on  to  say  that  he  had  set  them  an  exam- 
ple of  working  for  his  maintenance,  though  he  had  a 
right,  if  he  chose,  to  demand  a  maintenance  from  them : 
and  that  he  hoped  they  would  follow  his  example, 
seconded  as  it  was  by  his  express  precept;  "  For  even 
when  we  were  with  you,  this  we  commanded  you,  that 
if  any  would  not  work,  neither  should  he  eat"  (2  Thess. 
iii.  10).  The  tradition  referred  to,  therefore,  was 
probably  a  precept  to  the  effect  that  no  member  of  the 
Christian  Community  should  be  without  an  occupation, 
by  which  to  earn  his  bread. 


12.  Question. — What  other  references  are  there  in  St. 

Paul's  Epistles,  to  traditions  which  he  had  delivered 

to  the  Churches  founded  by  him  ? 
Ansioer. — There  is  one  of  considerable  importance 
in  1  Cor.  xi.  2,  which  has  been  much  obscured  by  our 
translators  having  rendered  the  word,  which  really 
means  "  traditions,"  "  ordinances."  "Now  I  praise  you, 
brethren,  that  ye  remember  me  in  all  things,  and  keep 


X.]  Catechism.  331 

the  ordinances,"  (in  the  margin  you  have  traditions,  as 
an  alternative  rendering),  "  as  I  delivered  them  to  you" 
(1  Cor.  xi.  2). 

13.  Question. — What  do  you  gather  from  the  fact  that 
he  speaks  of  "the  traditions"  in  the  plural 
number,  and  with  the  definite  article  ? 

Ansicer. — That  there  was  a  considerable  body  of 
these  traditional  rules  and  usages,  and  that  they  were 
generally  known  and  recognised  by  members  of  the 
Church. 

14.  Question. — What  new  "  ordinance,"  or  traditional 
usage,  does  he  then  proceed  to  prescribe  ? 

Answer. — That  the  men  should  appear  uncovered, 
and  the  women  covered,  in  the  Public  Worship  of  God. 

15.  Question. — Does  he  give  reasons  for  this  usage? 
Answer. — He  does  ;  some  of  which  are  drawn  from 

the  original  relation  of  the  woman  to  the  man,  as  set 
forth  in  the  Book  of  Genesis  (compare  1  Cor.  xi.  7,  8, 
0  with  Gen.  i.  26,  27 ;  ii.  21,  22  ;  and  ii.  18),  others 
from  a  natural  sense  of  propriety  ("  Judge  in  yourselves: 
is  it  comely,"  etc.  ?  "  Doth  not  even  nature  itself  teach 
you,"  etc.?  see  vv.  13,  14).  But  it  is  very  noticeable 
that  he  concludes  by  saying  that,  if  any  man  is  not 
convinced  by  his  arguments  of  the  propriety  of  the 
usage  in  question,  at  aU  events  it  is  one  which 
obtained  in  the  Church  of  Corinth  and  in  all  other 
Churches.  "  But  if  any  man  seem  to  be  contentious, 
we  have  no  such  custom,  neither  the  churches  of  God  " 
(1  Cor.  xi.  16). 

16.  Question. — What  does  this  language  show? 
Answer. — First,  that  there  were  traditional  "cus- 
toms "  in  the  primitive  Churches,  sanctioned  and  set 
on  foot  by  their  Apostolic  founders ;  and  secondly, 
that  these  "  customs  "  were  binding  on  every  right- 
minded  Christian,  even  if  they  did  not  coincide  with 
his  own  judgment. 

17.  Qtiestion. — What  other  glimpse  have  you,  at  the 

close  of  the  Chapter  you  ai'e  referring  to,  of  tra- 


S3~  Catechism.  [chap. 

ditional  usages  authorized  by  the  Apostles  in 
the  Churches  which  they  founded  ? 
Answer.- — The  Chapter  ends  thus  ;  "And  the  rest 
will  I  set  in  order  when  I  come"  (ver.  34) ; — words  which 
might  be  paraphrased,  "I  reserve,  as  more  suitable  to 
be  communicated  by  word  of  mouth  than  by  letter,  my 
judgment  on  the  other  points  submitted  to  me." 

18.  Question. — What  does   this  manner  of  speaking 

show? 
Ansroer. — That  certain  ecclesiastical  arrangements 
in  the  Church  of  Corinth  were   communicated  orally, 
and  not  by  letter,  to  the  Church. 

19.  Question. — Would  not  the  knowledge  of  such 
ecclesiastical  usages  as  really  had  Apostolic 
authority,  greatly  help  to  the  right  understanding 
of  the  Scriptures  of  the  New  Testament  ? 

Anstoer. — Doubtless  it  would ;  but  to  attain  such 
knowledge  with  any  accuracy  would  demand  long  and 
laborious  study,  as  well  as  a  competent  acquaintance 
with  dead  languages,  which  would  put  it  out  of  the 
reach  of  ordinary  Christians. 

20.  Question. — How  then  may  ordinary  Christians 
attain  to  such  a  knowledge  of  primitive  Apostolic 
traditions,  as  may  for  them  illustrate  and  bring 
out  the  meaning  of  the  New  Testament  ? 

Anstoer. — The  Book  of  Common  Prayer  embodies 
and  represents  these  traditions,  and  is  a  sort  of  digest 
of  them. 

21.  Question. — Were  the  persons  who  framed  the  Book 

of  Common  Prayer  qualified  to  impress  upon  it 
this  character  ? 
Answer. — They  were.  For  not  only  were  they  men 
of  deep  piety,  whose  minds  were  thoroughly  attuned 
to  the  strains  of  devotion  which  were  found  in  the  old 
Service  Books;  but  they  were  also  profound  theological 
scholars,  thoroughly  versed  in  Holy  Scripture  and  in 
the  writings  of  the  early  Fathers. 


X.]  Catechism. 


jjj 


22.  Question. — Upon  what  material  had  these  learned 
and  devout  men  to  work,  in  constructing  the  Book 

•    of  Common  l*rayer  ? 

Answer. — The  Ancient  Offices  of  the  Church,  which 
in  course  of  time  had  expanded  into  large  dimensions, 
and  become  separate  Volumes, — the  Missal,  the  Bre- 
viary, the  Ritual,  the  Pontifical, — were  in  their  pos- 
session, and  formed  the  foundation  of  their  work. 

23.  Question. — What  had  they  to  do  with  this  found- 

ation in  the  first  instance  ? 
Ansivcr. — To  clear  it  with  a  stern  hand  of  all  the 
superstitious  usages,  modern  traditions,  and  unscrip- 
tural  forms,  which  had  gathered  over  it  in  the  course  of 
ages,  and  to  exhibit  it,  as  far  as  might  be,  in  the  very 
shape  and  dimensions  in  which  it  came  from  the  hands 
of  the  Apostles,  and  their  immediate  successors. 

24.  Question. — In  this  work  of  clearance,   and  recur- 

rence  to  the  old  lines  on  which    the   Primitive 
Church    had   been    traced,  what    tests    did    they 
employ  in  order  to  discriminate  the  wheat  from 
the  chaff"  ? 
Answer. — The  first  test  was  the  Holy  Scripture.     A 
true  Apostolic  tradition  could  not  be  at  variance  with 
the  writings  of  the  Apostles.     If  then  a  tradition,  pro- 
fessing to  be  primitive  and  Apo.stolic,  was  not  in  unison 
with  the  New  Testament,  it  was  at  once  discarded. 

25.  Question. — What  parts  of  the  old  Church  Offices 
would  not  abide  this  test,  and  had  to  be  ruthlessly 
swept  away  ? 

Answer. — All  references  to  Purgatory  (a  doctrine 
"  grounded  upon  no  warranty  of  Scripture,  but  rather 
repugnant  to  "  .such  passages  as  Rev.  xiv.  13,  St.  Luke 
xxiii.  43)  ;  all  Worshipping  and  Adoration  of  Reliques 
(repugnant  to  2  Kings  xviii.  4,  and  Deut.  xxxiv.  G,  with 
Jude  9) ;  all  invocation  of  Saints  (repugnant  to  1 
Tim.  ii.  5,  Hcb.  vii.  25,  St.  John  xiv.  6)  ;  all  refer- 
ences to  human  merit  (or  to  anything  save  the  Blood 
of  Christ)  as    having  expiatory  power  (repugnant  to 


334  Catechism,  [chap. 

Ps.  xlix.  7,  Isaiah  Ixiv.  6,  Job  iv.  18,   Phil.  iii.  9). 
(See  Art.  xxii.) 

26.  Question. — What  was  the  second  test  which  the 
Reformers  applied  to  the  old  Offices  of  the 
Church? 

Ans^ver. — The  test  of  Primitive  Antiquity  and  the 
Early  Fathers. 

27.  Question. — Upon  what  principle  did  they  employ 
this  test,  in  order  to  determine  what  portion  of 
the  old  Offices  should  be  discarded,  and  what  re- 
tained ? 

Ansiver.—On  the  'principle  that  the  ecclesiastical  ar- 
rangements made  by  the  Apostles,  the  rules  which  they 
established,  and  the  customs  which  they  set  on  foot, 
must  have  been  observed  in  the  Churches  which  they 
founded  for  a  certain  time  after  their  foundation,  and 
that  such  rules  and  customs,  if  ascertained  out  of 
ancient  writers,  could  not  fail  to  throw  light  upon  the 
inspired  writings  of  the  Apostles  and  their  associates. 

Catecldst. — But  you  speak  as   if  God's  will  (at  all 
events  on  questions    of  Church   discipline    and 
Church  organization)  has  to  be  ascertained  by  us 
with  some  effort  out  of  ancient  documents  in  a 
dead  language,  and  is  not  in  all  cases  patent,  lying 
on  the  surface  of  His  written  "Word.     Is  this  in 
conformity  with  God's  usual  dealings   with    His 
Church  ? 
Answer. — It    is.      The    great  principles  of   human 
conduct    are   written    as    with    a    sunbeam    on    the 
pages  of  Holy  Scripture,  so   that   the   blindest   can- 
not  fail  to  see  them  there.     But  by  allowing  some 
obscurity  and  doubt  to   hang  over   the  right  path  in 
particulars  of   conduct,    God    exercises    the    spiritual 
instincts  of  His  people,  and  makes  their  arriving  at  a 
right  conclusion  a  trial  of  character.     This  is  intimated 
in  Phil.   i.  9,  10,    "  And  this  I  pray,   that   your  love 
may  abound  yet  more  and  more  in  knowledge  and  in 
all  j\idgment  ;    that  ye  may  ajyprove  things    that    are 
excellent,"  (in  the  margin,  ^ry  the  things  that  differ)  ; 


X.]  Catcchisiu,  335 

"  that  ye  may  be  sincere  and  without  offence  till  the 
day  of  Christ."  There  can  be  no  room  for  an  exercise 
of  "knowledge"  and  "judgment,"  where  the  pathway 
of  God's  will  is  so  clear  and  plain  that  it  cannot  pos- 
sibly be  mistaken. 

29.  Catechist. — You  have  described   the  principles  on 

which  the  Prayer-Book  was  compiled.  When 
offered  to  us  side  by  side  with  the  Bible,  and 
perused  together  with  it,  what  character  does  it 
assume  ? 
Ansiver. — It  becomes  a  medium,  through  which 
Bible  Truth  is  viewed,  recognised,  and  accepted. 

30.  Question. — Must  any  book  of  devotion  inevitably 
become  such  a  medium  ? 

Answer. — It  must.  The  listening  to  the  extempor- 
aneous private  prayers  of  an  individual  will  show  at 
once  what  view  he  takes  of  Bible  Truth  ;  his  prayers 
(if  really  extemporaneous)  will  be  his  private  commen- 
tary upon  the  Bible,  will  let  us  see  how  the  truths  of 
the  Bible  present  themselves  to  his  mind.  The  Book 
of  Common  Prayer  is  not  the  devotional  effusion  of  an 
individual  mind,  but  of  the  mind  of  the  Primitive 
Church.  And  it  lets  us  see  how  the  Bible  presented 
itself  to  the  Primitive  Church, — what  sense  the  Church, 
when  still  under  the  supervision  of  the  Apostles,  put 
upon  the  Bible. 

31.  Question. — Would  it  be  impossible  to  compile  a 
Book  of  Prayers  without  expressing  and  con- 
veying doctrine  ? 

Ansiver. — Manifestly  so.  The  drawing  up  a  prayer 
at  all  (with  the  intention  of  using  it)  must  imply  that 
the  person  who  draws  it  up  believes  that  God  is  a  God 
that  heareth  prayer,  "  a  rewarder  of  them  that  dili- 
gently seek  him  "  (Heb.  xi.  6). 

32.  Catechist.— But  the  idea  of  a  medium,  through 
which  we  look  at  Holy  Scripture,  is  not  altogether 
palatable  to  me.  I  should  like  to  read  it  quite 
colourless,  without  a  medium.  Would  it  not  be 
better  to  let  the  Bible  speak  absolutely  for  itself, 


336  Catechism.  [chap, 

and  to  read  it  without  any  explanations  but  such 

as  are  suggested  by  our  own  minds  ? 
Answer. — Thus  we  come  back  to  the  idea  of  reading 
the  Bible  "without  note  or  comment,"  which  in  a 
former  examination  was  shown  to  be  (to  the  full  extent) 
impracticable.  A  mother's  teaching  gives  the  Bible 
a  certain  colour, — is  a  medium,  through  which  her  child 
is  obliged  to  look  at  it.  Much  more  so  is  a  preacher's 
sermon,  a  religious  work,  a  book  of  devotions  (to  what- 
ever school  it  may  belong).  And  even  if  we  could 
(which  we  cannot)  make  ourselves  thoroughly  inde- 
pendent of  all  human  comments  in  studying  the  Bible, 
it  is  in  the  highest  degree  unlikely  that  we  should 
arrive  at  the  true  sense  of  Holy  Scripture. 

33.  Question. — To  what  may  you  compare  the  various 
interpretations  of  Scripture,  which  have  come  down 
to  us  in  the  current  of  tradition  ? 

Ansiuer. — To  an  atmosphere  which  wraps  round  the 
Sacred  Volume. 

34.  Catechist. — Show  the  propriety  of  this  image. 
Answer. — Whatever  may   be   the   case   with   other 

planets,  an  atmosphere  is  essential  to  the  whole  economy 
of  animal  and  vegetable  life  in  this.  All  the  animal 
tribes  live,  and  move,  and  have  their  being  in  this  at- 
mosphere,—are  so  constructed  as  to  be  every  moment 
dependent  upon  it.  Vegetables  too  live  by  the  air,  and 
by  what  they  imbibe  from  it.  Remove  the  atmosphere, 
and  the  earth  would  become  a  scene  of  barrenness  and 
death.  Similarly,  if  you  were  to  strip  the  Bible  quite 
bare  of  the  traditional  explanation  which  has  always 
accompanied  it,  you  would  remove  the  very  element 
which  vitalizes  the  Bible,  and  makes  it  such  a  blessed 
and  comfortable  book.  If  the  "  seed  of  the  woman  " 
may  not  be  interpreted  of  Christ;  nor  Noah,  nor  Isaac, 
nor  Joseph,  nor  David,  nor  Solomon,  taken  as  types  of 
Christ ;  nor  such  Psalms  as  the  twenty-fourth  understood 
of  Christ's  ascension  (and  all  these  are  traditional  ex- 
planations, never  explicitly  given,  though  some  of  them 
insinuated,  in    Scripture    itself),    how    comparatively 


X.]  CatecJdsm.  337 

barren  and  profitless  docs  the  volume  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment become ! 
35.  Catechist.— Yon  speak  of  an  atmosphere  as  being 

essential  to  life.     But  may  not  an  atmosphere  be 

vitiated  ? 
^„s,t,er.— Certainly  it     may.      It  may  be    charged 
with  noxious  vapours,  with  infectious  maladies ;  it  may 
be   heavy   and    oppressive,    and    exclude    (instead   of 
transmitting)  the  light. 
oG.  Question.— And  has  this  never  been  the  case  with 

the  atmosphere  of  traditional  sentiment  and  usage 

which  encompasses  the  Bible  ? 
Answer. — Notoriously  it  has.  This  atmosphere,  at 
the  time  of  the  Reformation,  was  "rendered  heavy 
and  oppressive  by  old  and  effete  superstitions ;  it  was 
rendered  opaque  by  a  mass  of  unauthorized  traditions, 
which  hindered  the  blessed  light  of  evangelical  Truth 
from  streaming  through ;  it  was  rendered  noxious  by 
elements  of  anti- Scriptural  practice  and  doctrine,  which 
did  actual  spiritual  mischief." 

37.  Question. — What  then  had  the  Reformers  to  do 
for  the  atmosphere  ? 

Answer. — Not  to  dispense  with,  but  to  clear  and 
purify  it.  They  took  away  the  superstitious  usages, 
discarded  those  traditions  which  had  taken  rise  in  the 
later  ages  of  the  Church ;  and  eliminated  from  the 
Offices  every  unscriptural  doctrine  and  rite. 

38.  Question. — And  in  what  did  their  labours  result? 
Answer. — lu    a    Book   of  Common    Prayer,    which 

represents  truly  the  mind  of  the  Primitive  Church,  and 
is  a  beautiful  medium  for  the  transmission  of  evangeli- 
cal Truth. 

39.  Question. — Will  you  express,  in  the  language  of 

Professor  Blunt,  the  various  kinds  of  help  which 

the  Prayer  Book  gives  towards  the  understanding 

of  the  Bible  ? 

Answer. — "  The  Prayer  Book  is  to  be  regarded  as 

a  code  of  primitive  tradition,  which  helps  to  the  full 

Y 


2,S^  Catechism.  [chap. 

interpretation  of  the  Bible,  expressing  what  may  be 
there  hinted,  enlarging  what  may  be  there  succinct, 
illustrating  what  may  be  there  obscure,  concentrating 
what  may  be  there  dispersed,  organizing  what  may  be 
there  promiscuous." 

40.  Catechist. — Give  an  instance  in  which  the  Prayer 
Book  "  expresses "  what  in  the  Bible  is  only 
"hinted." 

Answer. — Infant  Baptism  is  an  instance. 

41.  Qtiestion. — What  are  the  "hints"  which  the  Bible 

gives  in  favour  of  this  practice  ? 
Ansiver. — They  are  principally  three.  First;  the 
fact  of  the  (analogous)  rite  of  Circumcision  having  been 
administered  to  children  of  eight  days  old.  Secondly; 
our  Lord's  words  and  action,  when  He  took  little  chil- 
dren into  His  arms,  put  His  hands  upon  them,  and 
blessed  them.  Thirdly;  the  Scriptural  notices  of  several 
whole  households  having  been  baptized. 

42.  Question. — How  does  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer 

"express"  this  "hint"? 
Ansioer. — By  affirming,  in  the  twenty-seventh  Article, 
that  "the  Baptism  of  young  Children  is  in  any  wise  to 
be  retained  in  the  Church,  as  most  agreeable  with  the 
Institution  of  Christ;"  by  the  Rubric  preceding  the 
Office  for  "  Private  Baptism  of  Children  in  houses," 
which  prescribes  that  "  The  Citrates  of  every  Parish 
shall  often  admonish  the  people,  that  they  defer  not  the 
Baptism  of  their  Children  longer  than  the  first  or  second 
Sunday  next  after  their  lirth,  or  other  Holy -day  falling 
between,  unless  upon  a  great  and  reasonable  cause;"  and 
by  providing  an  Office  for  "  the  Ministration  of  Public 
Baptism  of  Infants,  to  be  used  in  the  Church." 

43.  Question. — How  did  the  Reformers  ascertain  that 

the  Baptism  of  young  children  was  an  Apostolic 

tradition  ? 
udnstwer.— Because,   by  applying   their   test  of   the 
early  Fathers,  they  found  there  such  passages  as  this 
from  Justin  Martyr:    "  Several  persons  among  us  of 


X.]  Catechism.  339 

sixty  and  seventy  years  old,  of  both  Pexes,  who  were 
made  disciples  of  Christ  from  their  childhood,  do  con- 
tinue uncorrupted." 

44.  Question.— Royf  do  you  know  that  Justin  is  here 

alluding  to  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism  ? 
Amicer.— Because  He  uses  the  very  same  word 
which  our  Lord  uses  in  instituting  the  Sacrament  of 
Baptism,  and  which  our  translators  have  rendered 
"teach''  (in  the  margin,  make  disciples);  "60  ye 
and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of 
the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 
(St.  Matt,  xxviii.  19.) 

45.  Question. — "When  was  Justin  born  ? 
Aimver.— In  the  earlier  half  of  the  second  century. 

St.  John  the  Evangelist,  it  is  generally  supposed,  lived 
to  see  the  heginning  of  the  second  century.  Therefore 
there  cannot  have  been  very  many  years  between  the 
death  of  St.  John  and  the  birth  of  Justin  Martyr. 

4G.  Question.— ^\iai  do  you  infer  from  this? 

Answer.— T\iat  the  practice  of  making  persons 
"  disciples  of  Christ  from  their  childhood"  cannot  have 
established  itself  in  the  Church  at  so  very  early  a 
period  without  the  sanction  of  the  Apostles. 

47.  Question. — And   what  would  the  sanction  of  the 
Apostles  imply  ? 

Answer. — That  of  their  Divine  Master. 

48.  Question.— Gc'ive  an  instance  in  which  the  Prayer 
Book  "enlarges"  what  in  the  Bible  is*  "succinct." 

Answer.— I  give  the  instance  of  the  laity's  having 
a  part  assigned  them  in  the  Church  Services. 

49.  Question.— V^on  what  Scriptural  ground  is  this 

practice  built  ? 
Anstoer. —\]^oxi  the  priesthood  of  all  Christians,^ 
which  is  affirmed  in  the  ascription  at  the  opening  of 
the  Book  of  the  Revelation  (ch.  i.  vv.  5,  6).  "  Unto 
him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in 
his  own  blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests 


340  Catechism.  [chap. 

unto  God  and  his  Father."  And  again  (1  Pet.  ii.  5) ; 
"  Ye  also,  as  lively  stones,  are  built  up  a  spiritual 
house,  an  holy  priesthood^  to  offer  up  spiritual  sacri- 
fices, acceptable  to  God  by  Jesus  Christ."  And  again 
(1  Pet.  ii.  9) ;  "  Ye  are  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal 
priesthood,  an  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people." 

50.  Question. — What,  in  all  probability,  is  the  allusion 

in  the  words,  "  Unto  him  that  washed  us  from  our 

sins  in  his  own  blood"  ? 
Ansiver. — It    probably   alludes   to   the    ceremonial 
washing  of  the  hands  and  feet  of  the  Priests  in  the 
laver  of  the  tabernacle,  before  they  offered  sacrifice. 
This  washing  is  prescribed  in  Exod.  xxx.  17-22. 

51.  Question. — But  how  do  these  passages  bear  upon 

the    question   of  the    laity   taking    part  in   the 

Services  ? 
Answer. — They  teach  us  that  all  Christians  (and 
not  the  Clergy  only)  are  priests.     And  if  priests,  they 
should  have  a  part  to  play  in  the  Public  Worship  of 
Almighty  God. 

52.  Question. — Is  there  any  other  passage  of  Holy 

Scripture,  which  seems  to  show  that  the  laity  did 

take  such  a  part  in  Public  Service  in  the  time  of 

the  Apostles? 

Answer. — Yes  ;  there  is  the  passage  in  1  Cor.  xiv. 

16 :  "  Else  when   thou   shalt   bless  with  the    spirit " 

(eav    £v\oy7](rr]s    no    Trvev/iari),    "  how    shall   he    that 

occupieth  the  room  of  the  unlearned"  (jov  tottov  tov 

iSioiTov)  "  say  Amen  at  thy  giving  of  thanks  "  {^ttI  ttj 

a-rj  evxapi-o-Ti<}),  "  seeing  he  understandeth  not  what 

thou  say  est?  " 

53.  Question. — What   is   the    meaning   of  the   word 

"unlearned"  in  this  passage ? 
Answer. — It  means  a  private  man,  one  who  does  not 
appear  officially,  an  unprofessional  person ;  or,  in  other 
words,  "  a  layman." 

54.  Question. — What  do  the  words  "  he  that  occupieth 

the  room  of  the  unlearned  "  seem  to  import  ? 


X.]  Catechism.  341 

^„swe?-.— That  the  layman  had  a  certain  "room" 
(or  sphere)  assigned  to  him  in  Public  Worship. 

55.  Question. — What  appears  from  this  verse  to  have 
been  part  of  the  layman's  function  ? 

A7iswer. — To  say   "  Amen,"  when   the   person  offi- 
ciating had  finished  the  Thanksgiving. 

56.  Question. — How  does  the  Prayer  Book  "  enlarge  " 

these  "succinct"  intimations? 
Answer. — By  assigning  to  the  laity  a  very  consider- 
able share  in  all  its  Services.  Sometimes  by  merely 
directing  them  to  say  Amen  at  the  end  of  a  Collect  or 
Prayer.  Sometimes  by  requiring  them  to  repeat 
Prayers  after  the  Minister,  as  in  the  General  Confes- 
sion. Sometimes  by  directing  them  to  say  Prayers 
with  the  Minister,  as  in  the  recitation  of  the  Lord's 
Prayer.  Sometimes  by  putting  into  their  mouth 
distinct  Responses  of  their  own,  as  (specially)  in  the 
Litany,  as  well  as  in  the  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer, 
and  in  the  Communion  Service.  Thus  a  "  room  "  (or 
sphere)  is  provided  by  our  Prayer  Book  for  the  layman 
to  occupy,  by  the  occupation  of  which  he  may  assert 
his  priesthood. 

57.  Question. — Is  there  any  slight  indication  in  Holy 

Scripture  of  the  laity's  taking  part  in  the  Office 

of  the  Holy  Communion  ? 
Ansioer. — Yes ;  St.  Paul,  speaking  of  the  Consecra- 
tion of  the  Bread  and  Wine  in  the  Lord's  Supper, 
says ;  "  The  cup  of  blessing  which  we  bless,  is  it  not 
the  communion  of  the  blood  of  Christ?  the  bread 
which  we  break,  is  it  not  the  communion  of  the  body 
of  Christ?  "  (1  Cor.  x.  16),  as  if  the  act  of  Consecration 
(which  is  the  highest  of  all  ^linistcrial  functions),  were 
an  act  in  which  the  people  took  part  with  the  Minister. 

58.  Question.— What  feature  in  the  ancient  Liturgies 

seems    to    confirm    this    view    of    the  Apostle's 

meaning  ? 
Answer.— The   circumstance    that    response    enters 
largely  into  all  of  them  ;  that  in  none  of  them  is   the 
Office  confined  to  the  Priest  alone. 


342  Catechism.  [chap. 

59.  Question. — Give  an  instance  in  which  the  Prayer 
Book  "  illustrates  "  -what  in  the  Bible  is  "  obscure." 

A^istver. — An  instance  may  be  found  in  the  text 
which  has  been  just  quoted,  and  which  even  in  the 
original  is  obscure. 

1  Cor.  xiv.  16. 

'ETrei    eav    €v\oyr]crr]s    rw  Else,  when  thou  shalt  bless 

irvfiifiaTL,  6  avan\r]pmv  top  with  the  Spirit,  how  shall  he 
TOTTov  Tov  iStcorou,  TTcos  ipel  that  occupieth  the  room  of 
TO  dfif)v  eVi  rfi  (rfj  evxapicrria,  the  unlearned  say  Amen  at 
eTTfidr)  tI  Xeyeis  ovk  oide  ;  thy  giving  of  thanks,  seeing 

he    understandeth  not  what 

thou  say  est  ? 

60.  Catechist. — Give  a  free  translation  of  this  passage, 
and  explain  the  connexion  in  which  it  stands  with 
what  precedes. 

Answer. — The  Apostle  is  arguing  against  the  use 
of  an  unknown  tongue  in  Public  Worship,  unless  an 
interpreter  should  be  present  to  explain  what  is  spoken 
in  such  a  tongue ;  and  he  says  in  the  verse  before  us ; 
"If  thou  shalt  use  an  unknown  tongue  in  blessing  [the 
elements  at  the  Holy  Communion],  executing  that  OfBce 
in  a  devotional  rapture,  but  in  a  tongue  not  under- 
standed  of  those  around  you,  how  shall  he  on  whom 
devolves  the  duty  of  the  layman  "  (the  duty,  namely,  of 
responding  to  thy  prayers)  "  say  Amen  at  thy  celebra- 
tion of  the  Eucharist,  seeing  he  does  not  understand 
what  thou  sayest?  " 

61.  Question. — But  what  grounds  are  there  for  finding 
in  this  passage  any  reference  to  the  Holy  Com- 
munion ? 

Answer. — These  in  the  text  itself;  that  the  word 
rendered  "  Thanksgiving  "  is  literally  "  Eucharist,"  a 
very  early  designation  of  the  Holy  Communion  ;  and 
that  the  word  translated  "  bless  "  is  the  same  word  as 
that  used  at  the  account  of  the  original  institution  by 
the  two  first  Evangelists  (St.  Matt.  xxvi.  20  ;  St.  Mark 
xiv.  22),  when  it  is  said  that  "  Jesus  took  bread,  and 
blessed  it,"  and  akin  to  the  substantive  "blessing," 
which  St.  Paul  uses,  when  he  designates  the  chalice  of 


X.]  Catechism.  343 

the  Holy  Communion  "the  cup   of  blessing"  (1  Cor. 
X.  16). 

Gli.  Catechist. — These  strike  me  as  slender  grounds. 
Have  you  no  better? 
A7iswer. — They  would  be  slender,  I  admit,  if  they 
stood  alone.  But  let  us  read  side  by  side  with  the 
text  this  passage  of  Justin,  in  which  he  gives  an 
account  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  as  it  was  celebrated  in 
his  time  (the  middle  of  the  second  century).  He 
mentions  that  a  meeting  of  the  Church  is  held  "  on  the 
day  of  the  Sim  ;"  that  the  writings  of  the  Apostles  or 
Prophets  are  read,  and  the  reading  followed  up  by  an 
exhortation  from  the  President  of  the  assembly,  and  by 
prayers  for  all  conditions  of  men,  which  being  concluded 
"  we  salute  one  another  with  a  kiss." 

Justin  Apol.  1.  ch.  65,  66  {See  aluo  67). 

ETTfiTaTrpoa-cpfpfTctiTatTrpo-  Then    is   brought    to    the 

eo-rwTt*  rcbv  d8f\(fio}v   apros.  President    of     the    brethren 

Koi  TTorrjpiov  vbaros  Koi   Kpd-  bread,    and  a  cup  of  water 

/laTos-  Koi  oiiTos  XajSajf  aivov  and    mixed  wine.     And  he, 

Koi  86iav  Tw  miTpl  rav  oXcov  taking  them,  sends  up  praise 

8ia    Tov   ovoparos    rov   vlov,  and   glory  to  the  Father  of 

Koi  TOV  TTViipaTos  TOV  dyiov  all  through  the  name  of  His 

dvairtpwfi,.     koi    (vxapiaTiav  Sou  and  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 

virep  TOV  KaTrj^icoa-dtn  tovtcov  And    he    maketh    at    great 

Trap'  aiiTov  fVl  ttoXv  TroieTrai  •  length  a  thanksgiving  for  our 

ov   (rvvT('\€(ravTos  tcis  ev;(as  having  been  thought  worthy 

Koi   TTjv   fixapicTTiav,   Tray    6  by    Go<l    of    such    blessings. 

TmpiovXaos  (ir(v(pr]ptl  \fyo)v  And    when    he    has  finished 

dprji/.       TO      8e      dprju,      tjj  the  prayers  and  the  thanks- 

'EjipatBi    (j)(i)v[i,    TO    yevoiTo  giving,  all  the  people  present 

arjpalvei.  evxupia-TrjaavTos  8e  signify  their  joyful  assent  by 

Toil  irpoftTTaTos,  koi  fT7fv(f)rjp-  saying  Amen.     Now  Amen  in 

T)(TavTos  travTos  tov  \aov,  ot  the  Hebrew  tongue  signifieth 

KoKovpfvoi  Trap  r]p1v  bidKovoi,  So    he   it.      And    when    the 

•  It  is  observaVile  that  in  1  Thess.  v.  12,  this  very  verb  is 
used  to  describe  the  Ministerial  Office  : — 

tovs  KOTTiSiVTas  iv  vpiv,  koi  Them  which  labour  among 
TTpoiaTaptvovs  vpatv  iv  Kvpt'o),  yoii,  and  are  over  you  in  the 
Ka\  vovdfTovvTas  vpds.  Lord,  and  admonish  you. 


344  Catechism.  [chap. 

hihoacnv    iKa^TTc^  t&v  irapov-     President  has  given  thanks, 

T(x)v   fifToka^e'iv  ano   roii  fv-     and  the  j^eople  have  signified 

XnpiarrjdevTos  liprov  Kalo'ivov     their    assent,    those   who   go 

Koi  vdaros  ....  Kat  r]  rpocpr]     among    us  by  the   name    of 

avTT]    KoXelrat   TT-ap"  fjfj.iv  tv-     Deacons  give  to  each  of  those 

Xapia-Tia.  present     a     portion    of    the 

bread    and  wine  and    water 

over  which  thanks  have  been 

given  ....   and  this  food  is 

called  with  us  the  Eucharist. 

Putting  this  passage  of  St.  Justin  by  the  side  of  the 
text  from  St,  Paul,  there  seems  no  longer  any  room  to 
doubt  that  "  the  thanksgiving "  referred  to  by  the 
Apostle  is  "  the  Prayer  of  Consecration  in  the  Com- 
munion Service,"  and  the  "Amen,"  which  it  is  the 
part  of  "  the  layman  "  to  "  say,"  the  Amen  with  which 
that  Prayer  is  concluded. 

63.  Catechist. — Yes.     Justin's  description  of  a  primi- 
tive celebration  does  make   it  almost  a  certainty 
that    St.   Paul   is   referring  to   the    Holy   Com- 
munion, and  its  long  prayer  of  Consecration,  and 
the    fervent   response    "Amen,"    by    which     the 
congregation  were  wont  to  conclude  that  prayer. 
I  see  how  the  writings  of  Justin   illustrate  that 
which  in  the  Bible  is  obscure.     But  what  has  this 
to  do  with  the  Prayer  Book  ? 
Answer. — Because    the    Communion  Office  in  the 
Prayer  Book  represents  with  great  fidelity  the  Order  of 
that  Service  as  it  was  in  Justin's  time.     We  have  there 
the  Epistle  and  Gospel  (the  former  of  which   is  even 
now  occasionally  taken  from  the  Prophetical  Writings, 
as  on  the  Monday  and  Tuesday  in  Easter  Week)  ;  the 
Sermon  or  Exhortation,  the  Oblation  of  the  elements, 
the  Prayer  for  the   Church  Militant,    the   Prayer   of 
Consecration,   with  its   concluding  Amen ;    and    then 
immediately  the  distribution  of  the  Elements.     Since 
Justin  lived  so  near  to  the  times  of  the  Apostles,   our 
Reformers  felt  that  the  Order  of  Service  then  observed 
must  have  had  their  sanction,  and  emanated  from  them  ; 
and    this    Order  of  Service   they  have   retained  very 
faithfully  in  our  present  Communion  Office,  which  thus 


X.]  Catechism.  345 

gives  the  mind  of  the  Apostles  as  to  the  inethod  of 
administration.  The  Prayer  Book,  then,  taken  as  re- 
presenting and  embodying  the  usage  described  by 
Justin,  does  very  much  "illustrate  "  what  in  the  Bible 
is  "  obscure." 

64.  Catechist. — Give  an  instance  in  which  the  Pravcr 

Book  "  concentrates  "  what  in  the  Bible  is  "  dis- 
persed." 
Answer. — I  cannot  give  an  instance  more  apposite 
than  that  which  is  furnished  by  the  doctrine  of  the 
Holy  Trinity.  This  doctrine  is  given  to  us  in  Holy 
Scripture,  as  I  have  before  had  occasion  to  observe, 
piecemeal,  the  Godhead  of  the  Son  being  asserted  or 
implied  in  some  texts,  that  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  others, 
the  distinctness  of  the  Persons  being  recognised  in 
passages  occurring  here,  their  Co-equality  and  Co- 
eternity  in  a  different  connexion,  while  the  Unity  of  the 
Godhead  is  a  doctrine  which  pervades  the  whole  of 
Scripture.  These  various  doctrinal  statements,  which 
are  dispersed  over  the  Sacred  Volume,  result,  when 
"  concentrated,"  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  as  it 
is  stated  at  large  in  the  Athanasian  Creed. 

65.  Catechist. — Give  an  instance  in  which  the  Prayer 
Book  organizes  what  is  promiscuous  in  the  Bible. 

Ansiuer. — The  best  instance  I  can  give  is  the  three- 
fold Ministry  of  Bishops,  Priests,  and  Deacons. 

66.  Question. — "What  do  you  mean  by  saying  that 
this  threefold  Ministry  is  to  be  found  j^f^omiscu- 
oush/  in  the  Bible  ? 

Ansiver. — 1  mean  that  it  is  to  be  gathered  from 
different  parts  of  Holy  Scripture.  During  our  Lord's 
own  life  there  was  the  appointment  of  the  Twelve,  and 
afterwards  of  the  Seventy  (see  St.  Luke  ix.  1  and  x.  i.), 
both  Orders,  it  would  appear,  receiving  powers  and  a 
commission  not  very  dissimilar.  Then,  in  the  Acts,  we 
have  the  account  of  an  Order  designed  to  relieve  the 
Apostles  of  the  lower  and  more  secular  parts  of  their 
duty  (Acts  vi.  1-7).  Then,  in  the  Epistles,  what 
we   find  is   summed   up  thus  by  Professor    Blunt : — 


34^  Catechism.  [chap. 

"  Timothy  was  set  by  Paul  in  a  position  of  authority 
even  over  those  who  had  a  control  of  their  own  over 
the  flock  ;  for  Timothy,  on  the  one  hand,  was  com- 
missioned to  receive  an  accusation  against  an  elder, 
and,  if  necessary,  to  rebuke  him  ;  and  yet  the  elder, 
on  the  other  hand,  was  commissioned  on  his  part  to 
bear  rule ;  while  the  deacon,  as  his  very  name  indi- 
cates, was  appointed  only  to  minister  or  serve,  and  was 
not  to  be  raised  to  a  higher  grade  or  'good  degree,'  till 
he  had  given  proof  that  he  was  fit  for  it ;  Timothy, 
meanwhile,  deriving  his  superiority  from  no  advantage 
in  age,  for  he  was  so  young  that  he  is  cautioned  not  to 
allow  himself  on  that  account  to  be  despised.  Titus 
is  in  the  same  case  with  respect  to  years,  yet  he,  too, 
is  commissioned  '  to  rebuke  with  all  authority ;  '  and 
both  the  one  and  the  other  are  intrusted  with  the 
power  of  Ordination,  an  exclusive  power,  for  the 
manner  in  which  the  exercise  of  it  is  enjoined  them, 
shows  that  the  character  of  the  clergy  lay  in  their 
hands  by  the  cautious  choice  which  they  should  make 
and  the  previous  examination  they  should  institute,  a 
provision  which  would  be  entirely  defeated,  if  the 
clergy  in  their  respective  dioceses  might  be  self- 
appointed,  or  appointed  by  other  indifferent  parties  ; 
an  exclusive  power,  too,  which  was  not  to  be  confined 
to  them,  but  to  descend  in  like  manner  to  those  who 
should  succeed  to  their  places ;  for  Timothy  was  to 
'  keep  the  commandment,'  that  is,  I  apprehend,  the 
instructions  he  had  just  been  receiving  from  St.  Paul, 
'  until  the  appearing  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  '  an 
injunction  which  would  imply  that  they  were  to  be 
binding  on  future  bishops  to  the  end  of  time," — 
Finally,  in  the  Book  of  the  Revelation,  we  find  'the 
Epistles  to  the  Asiatic  Churches  addressed  to  their 
respective  "  angels  "  (or  presiding  bishops),  in  whom 
the  Church  is  regarded  as  being  summed  up,  and  who 
are  addressed  as  representing  it  before  God. 

67.  Question. — How  does  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  "organize"  these  various  notices  respect- 
ing the  Ministry  ? 


X.]  CatccJiism.  347 

Answer. — By  assuring  us  in  the  Preface  to  the 
Ordinal ;  "  It  is  evident  unto  all  men  diligenthj  reading 
the  holy  Scripture  and  ancient  Authors,  that  from  the 
Ajwsttes'  time  there  hare  been  these  Orders  of  Ministers 
in  Christ's  Church;  Bishops,  Priests,  and  Deacons;" 
and  also  by  assigning  to  each  Order  special  duties  and 
functions,  those  of  the  Deacon  being  to  assist  the 
Priest  in  Divine  Service,  but  not  apparently  to  stand 
in  the  Priest's  stead. 

68.  Question. — What   is   specially  to  be  observed  in 
the  passage  of  the  Ordinal  which  you  have  just 
quoted  ? 
A)iswer. — That  it  does  not  assert  that  Holy  Scripture 
alone  makes  the  threefold  Ministry  evident.     Scripture 
only   gives  intimations  to    that  effect,    which    ancient 
authors    (Ignatius,   the  Apostolical  Constitutions,    and 
others)  develope  and  confirm.     Scripture,  not  by  it- 
self, but  read  in  the  light  of  "  ancient  Authors,"  makes 
it  evident. 

60.   Question. — What  practical  recommendation  flows 

naturally  from  the  subject  to  which  this  Chapter 

is  devoted  ? 

Ansiver. — That  we  should  accept  the  Prayer  Book. 

as  for  us  the  authorized  guide  into  the  teaching  of  the 

Bible,  on  the  ground  that  it  is  really  the  voice  of  the 

Primitive   Church,   guiding  us  into  the  truth,  as  the 

pillar  of  the  cloud  and  of  fire  guided  the  Israelites  in 

their  journeyings. 

70.  Question. — What   happy    effect   would   this   final 

acceptance  of  the  Prayer  Book,  as  the  interpreter 

of  Holy  Scripture,  have  upon  our  minds  ? 

Answer. — "  That  we  henceforth"  should  "be  no 

more  children,   tossed  to  and  fro,  and  carried  about 

with  every  wind  of  doctrine,  by  the  sleight  of  men,  and 

cunning  craftiness,  whereby  they  lie  in  wait  to  deceive  ; 

but  speaking  the  truth  in  love,"  should  "  grow  up  into 

him  in    all    things,   which  is  the  head,  even   Christ, 

from  whom  the  whole  body  fitly  joined  together  and 


34^  Catechism.  [chap. 

compacted  by  that  whicli  every  joiut  supplietli,  accord- 
ing to  the  effectual  working  in  the  measure  of  every 
part,  maketh  increase  of  the  body  unto  the  edifying  of 
itself  in  love."  (See  Eph.  iv,  14,  15,  16.)  In  short, 
there  would  be  for  us  an  end  of  controversy,  and  a 
good  prospect  of  quiet  growth  in  grace  if  we  could 
acquiesce  in  the  Bible,  as  interpreted  by  the  Prayer 
Book. 

71.  Question. — But  are  there  not  many  controverted 
points  upon  which  the  Bible,  as  interpreted  by  the 
Prayer  Book,  pronounces  nothing ;  and  which 
therefore  must  still  be  left  open  questions  ? 

Answer. — Doubtless  there  may  be  such  points.  But 
we  may  be  sure  that  they  are  not  of  serious  importance. 
And,  although  some  of  them  may  interest  our  curiosity, 
we  may  be  content  to  wait  for  their  settlement  till  the 
day  when  all  obscurities,  which  at  present  hang  over 
the  counsels  of  God,  shall  be  cleared  up.  Here  below 
we  may  not  expect  more  light  than  will  serve  for  our 
practical  guidance. 

72.  Question. — What  is  the  great  danger  of  interesting 
ourselves  too  much  in  the  speculative  questions  of 
controversy  ? 

Anstoer. — That  they  may  draw  us  off  from  questions 
of  practical  and  personal  interest. 

73.  Question. — What  Scriptural  instance  is  there  of  a 
person  allowing  the  mind  to  seek  refuge  in  con- 
troversy from  those  personal  questions,  which 
apply  a  probe  to  the  conscience  ? 

Ansiver. — That  of  the  woman  of  Samaria,  who,  when 
our  Saviour  had  charged  her  with  living  in  sin,  took 
the  opportunity  of  consulting  Him  on  the  subject  of  the 
controversy  which  divided  the  Samaritans  from  the 
Jews.     (See  St.  John  iv.  18,  19,  20.) 

74.  Question. — How  did  she  evade  the  home  thrust, 

which  our  Lord  had  given  to  her  conscience  ? 
Answer. — Taking  no  notice   of  her  present   sinful 
life,    she   answered   Him  ;   ''  Sir,  I  perceive   that  thou 


X.]  Catcchisvi.  349 

art  a  prophet.  Our  fathers  worshipped  in  this  mountain  ; 
and  ye  say,  that  in  Jerusalem  is  the  place  where  men 
ought  to  worship"  (St.  John  iv.  19,  20). 

75.  Question. — How  may  we  imitate  her  example  in 
this  particular  ? 

Answer. — By  allowing  much  of  our  time  and 
thoughts  to  be  taken  up  by  slight  ceremonial  questions, 
while  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law  stir  in  us  com- 
paratively but  little  interest. 

76.  Question. — What  is  the  great   end,  from   which 
curious  controversies  too  often  call  us  ofif? 

Answer. — That  of  growing  in  grace  and  living 
nearer  to  God  ;  of  finding  greater  satisfaction  for  the 
mind  in  His  light,  and  for  the  heart  in  His  love.  That 
of  comprehending  "  with  all  saints  what  is  the  breadth, 
and  length,  and  depth,  and  height;  and"  of  knowing 
"  the  love  of  Christ,  which  passeth  knowledge,  that"  we 
might  "  be  filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God." 


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